


(Not So Secret) Love Song

by beeswaxing



Category: Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Biting, Cock Warming, Creampie, EDITED: Comic in Ch1, Felching, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Kink Negotiation, Loud Sex, M/M, Mild Kink, Mutual Pining, NOT A KINK, Public Blow Jobs, Rimming, Shaving, Slow Burn, Top Wang Yi Bo/Bottom Xiao Zhan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:47:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 166,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24958588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beeswaxing/pseuds/beeswaxing
Summary: Souls manifest as daemons and for 90% of humans, they are mostly invisible, existing within their minds or only appearing while their human is under any form of duress to comfort or to rescue. Thesettlingoccurs at puberty for these humans and their daemons never ever change form. Some may never even touch their daemons until their deathbed. Then there are the 10% who have corporeal daemons, 5% of whom are also able to get their daemons to change whether at will or depending on their moods. What were the actual mathematical chances of having both the co-leads in The Untamed in the most special bracket of that 5% where only 1% of them have daemons with magic of their own and enough independence away from their humans to wreak their own special brand of havoc?
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan
Comments: 328
Kudos: 627
Collections: BJYX Prompt Fest 2020





	1. First meeting...or not

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kvisan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kvisan/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [kvisan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kvisan/pseuds/kvisan) in the [bjyx_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjyx_fest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> I just want to see CQL filming and press tour pining/getting together with daemons. Fandom already associates them with a bunny for XZ and a lion for WYB but I'm totally open to other interpretations of what their daemons would be. In "His Dark Materials" there's mild implication that a same-gender daemon can mean that you are queer, and they tend to have mythologically/folklorically significant names, but again, I'm totally open with regards to how daemons work in this world.
> 
> \---
> 
> Baidi is the White Deity and associated with Venus. His animal form is Bailong the White Dragon and I think the tiger is his spirit animal. Chidi is the Red Deity associated with Mars. His animal form is Zhulong the Red Dragon and his spirit animal is the phoenix. Yes, I went with the whole Mars and Venus thing because :D Also there is one PHYSICAL thing in this fic that is highly unlikely to be canon but a girl can dream :P Apologies for the word count I just needed to set this up properly. Subsequent chapters will likely be shorter. 
> 
> Updates will be every weekend until the end of August. Rating may change…

“Is that him?”

Yubin nods, looking a little skeptical. “His daemon is terrifying as fuck but I wonder if it’s just for show. He hasn’t said a word since he was introduced.”

“He’s probably shy,” Haikuan offers, smiling kindly, not unlike his character. 

“Shy?” Ji Li stares at the lone figure at the most secluded table at their lunch buffet. “How does anyone with a daemon like that be shy?”

Yubin shrugs. “Maybe he’s posturing.”

“You can’t fake a daemon. You either have those qualities or you don’t. I wouldn’t assume anything with him. Clearly still water runs deep where he’s concerned, if his daemon is anything to go by. I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you.” Ji Li watches the daemon circling the four seater table, empty apart from a single occupant. If he did not know better, he would think the creature stalking the man like a predator with its prey, but the eyes are turned outwards towards them and those baleful golden eyes matching its lustrous mane brings a shiver down his spine.

The Assistant Director enters then with the other lead, shooing the small group to a table and chastising them lightly for gossiping before turning to the much taller young man standing next to him. 

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/118507/118507_original.jpg)

“You see what I mean? His daemon is not like yours,” he gestures to the quiet white rabbit sitting serenely by Xiao Zhan’s feet. “That daemon is going to discourage most from approaching so you have to make the first move. You need to build rapport with him immediately because the way this is written, your relationship with him is absolutely central to the whole drama. Have you read the source material?” He grimaces when Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “You might want to add that to your list of things to read.”

Xiao Zhan takes a deep breath, about to respond when he notices something and chokes on the air he inhaled. His own daemon had left its place by his feet and is currently seated on his co-star’s table, nose to nose with the other’s daemon.

A full grown lion, complete with a beautiful tawny mane, glaring down at a small white rabbit who looks absolutely non-plussed about the big cat, standing on its hind legs and looking as if he is contemplating swiping at the lion’s whiskers with his soft white paw.

“Guess the decision is already made,” Xiao Zhan mutters, excusing himself from the bemused Assistant Director’s side as he hurries over to the table before the lion tries to eat his poor rabbit.

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/118583/118583_original.jpg)

“Baidi, he is not food,” the young man murmurs, not looking up or even at the daemon planted squarely just past his tray of food. He continues eating, his daemon’s eyes can be his eyes, and those golden eyes turn inquiringly just as Xiao Zhan pulls a chair up to sit next to his human.

“Baidi? Shouldn’t he be a tiger then?” 

Wang Yibo finally looks up, staring in surprise at his co-star while his daemon growls menacingly. If anything, the pure white rabbit looks like he is genuinely about to smack his nose, taking a couple of steps forward until it is at the edge of the table, staring calmly at the growling lion. 

“Never thought about it. He just happened,” Yibo nods towards the rabbit. “What’s yours called.”

Xiao Zhan’s expression turns a little sheepish, scratching the back of his neck before leaning forward with a bright smile that clearly startles Yibo because his daemon stops growling. “Chidi.”

“Not a phoenix?” Yibo mouth twitches of its own accord into a tiny smirk, leaning back in his chair and taking in the other man. 

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/118851/118851_original.jpg)

In response, the rabbit turns to him, its expression solemn, before suddenly transforming into a beautiful red and gold phoenix, causing a hush around the entire room for Xiao Zhan has just outed himself rather spectacularly as a very special human. Or at least his daemon had. The phoenix lifts off the table, its wingspan easily at least 6ft, flapping its beautiful wings slowly, hovering in midair over the heads of the two men until a single red feather edged in gold comes loose and floats slowly down, landing on the lion’s nose, making the fierce creature go cross-eyed as it tries to look at the feather invading its personal space.

Yibo’s unique laughter breaks the silence, surprising one and all as the young man grins widely at his daemon. The handsome man next to him has a look of surprise for a split second before he too grins. Neither of them pay attention to all the eyes in the room turned towards them, chuckling at the majestic lion looking rather adorable with a feather on its nose. The phoenix lands lightly onto the table and starts to preen, making Yibo chuckle again and Xiao Zhan feels a lightness in his heart he hasn’t felt in awhile. He is suddenly overwhelmed by this inexplicable urge to make sure the younger man smiles every single day while they spend the next four months or so filming fifty episodes of the drama under the scorching sun.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/119066/119066_original.jpg)

“This is Zhulong,” Xiao Zhan strokes his hand down his daemon’s back. He is Chidi to everyone, but since he has deigned to share a feather with your Baidi, you may call him Zhulong.”

Xiao Zhan is so intent on Yibo that he fails to notice something everyone else has noticed, and the lunch hall is dead silent, everyone surprised except the directors, for the standard actor forms had required disclosure of all forms of those with corporeal daemons. Thus, he can possibly be forgiven for nearly falling off his chair in shock when an adorable lion cub suddenly pops its head up from Yibo’s lap, the phoenix feather held gently in its mouth.

While Yibo is laughing at his clumsy and sheepish co-star, Zhulong transforms back into the white rabbit and he hops alongside Yibo’s tray to try and get as close as he can to the sulky cub.

“Oh my god, you’re so cute!” The rabbit claps its front paws and giggles. “You should always stay like this. So cuddly and cute!” 

Baidi balances the feather carefully on the corner of Yibo’s tray before glaring at the rabbit still looking at him with the most irritating heart eyes ever. 

“Not cute! You did this.”

“Did not.”

“Did to.”

“Did not!”

“Your feather is magic, you know you did this,” he starts to growl menacingly but coming from the baby lion, it sounds more like a very loud purr, tickling the rabbit daemon even more.

The bunny laughs so hard it falls backwards and nearly topples off the table, just like its human, though Xiao Zhan catches it just in time.

“Careful. We have to get along for at least the next four months. Don’t tease, Zhulong.”

“But…” the rabbit giggles and points. “Look at him. Isn’t he the cutest?”

Yibo’s ears are reddening and the growls coming from the little cub gets louder. Xiao Zhan notices and honestly, the only word he can think of is being echoed by his daemon.

Cute.

Trying to hide the grin that wants to break free, he attempts to change the subject before the cub turns into an adult again, or Yibo storms off, neither an outcome that he wants.

“Have you finished your lunch? I was about to have some and wouldn’t mind some company.”

Yibo shakes his head, ears still red but his hand is stroking his daemon and the indignant baby growls slowly ease off. 

“Yes, but the food is good and I was thinking of having seconds,” Yibo answers honestly, finally looking up, a little mesmerised by the handsome man looking kindly at him. “I probably shouldn’t though since we’re supposed to keep our weight down for the costumes.”

Xiao Zhan stands and waves his hand dismissively. “You don’t need to worry with your figure. And besides, the next two weeks is going to be bootcamp where we basically get our asses kicked daily. Even if you had three helpings today, I’m willing to bet you’ll either be the same weight or less by the end of the two weeks so eat whatever you want. What’s good? You can stay and look after my Zhulong and I’ll get us some food.”

“Excuse you, what am I? Chopped liver? Do I not get any food?” Zhulong remarks, sitting back on his hind legs and sniffing exaggeratedly. “Just because that cutie pie, over there distracted us doesn’t mean you get to forget your responsibilities.”

Yibo stares at his tray, his arm wrapped lightly around his daemon. He picks up the phoenix feather carefully, feeling the burn in his ears again and he can feel the heat spreading to his cheeks. His arms tighten around his cub who has tilted its face up to its human, a rather adult knowing look in its eyes before he blinks and it disappears.

Zhulong is still complaining loudly about being abandoned and forgotten and Xiao Zhan is busy trying to shush him when Baidi clambers up his teeshirt and nuzzles into his throat. “He thinks we’re cute.”

“Mn.”

“We are not cute.”

“Mn,” Yibo nuzzles and smiles into the soft flank of his daemon. “Why did you take this form if you didn’t want to be cute?”

“The feather did it,” the little cub turns baleful eyes towards the bunny who still looks like it has heart eyes in their direction. “I had no say over it, but I can change to whatever I want now.”

“Mn.”

“You want me to turn into Bailong?”

“You are Bailong.”

“You know what I mean.”

Yibo chuckles and lifts his face up and smiles gratefully when Xiao Zhan finally takes his tray and tells him he will be back and to ignore every single thing Zhulong says because it’s a bad bunny.

Prying his lion cub from his clothes, he places the small furry thing onto the table and settles him opposite Zhulong. 

“Zhulong, this is Bailong.”

The white bunny hops so close he is quite literally nose to nose with the frozen cub, just one little nose twitch and they will likely touch. They stay like that for almost a minute, before Zhulong starts to laugh and moves a couple of steps back. 

“You have to win at everything huh?”

Bailong sniffs and starts to circle the rabbit. “I don’t stop once I’ve started.”

“That’s not tiring?” Zhulong waves a paw. “Sit still please. You’re giving me a headache.”

“Make me.”

Yibo’s eyebrow goes up at the unexpectedly forward reply from his daemon, but before he can process it, there is a flash of white and brown and the two daemons leap off the table, the rabbit in pursuit of the cub instead of vice versa much to Yibo’s confusion.

He returns to his contemplation of the red feather, admiring the beauty and vibrancy of the colours when a laden tray slides into view. 

“This is too much food!”

Xiao Zhan shrugs and settles into his seat, his own tray laden. “Everyone was giving me suggestions on what was nice and it seems like every single dish was so I took some of everything for us. Is that okay? I’ll finish your food if you can’t.”

Yibo looks at the mountain of food and despite having already eaten, he suddenly feels ravenous. He can sense his daemon’s hunger too and he is about to call out to Bailong when the lion cub jumps onto the table with a limp white rabbit in its jaws.

“Bailong!!!” Yibo is so horrified he stands abruptly, his chair clattering loudly to the ground behind him, drawing everyone’s attention to the gorgeous young man. He does not notice though, his shock is absolute and he cannot do anything but gape at his daemon before turning his gaze to his co-star. 

His horror turns to confusion when the man just stares at the two daemons, his noodles arrested halfway to his mouth but looking none the worse for wear despite his apparently dead or merely out cold daemon. He does look a little stunned though.

The cub drops the body which springs to its feet immediately, howling with laughter.

“Hahahahahahaha you should have seen your face oh my god. I thought you were going to drop dead from shock.”

“Bailong, go.”

“But…” the cub protests but not very strongly, feeling the turmoil in his human.

“Hey, don’t punish him, it was my idea.”

“Zhulong, go.”

“What?”

“Now.” Xiao Zhan’s voice is firm. He can see Yibo’s hand trembling and he feels awful. He should have told him his Zhulong can be a bit of a joker, something cultivated a little too much while he was in high school and then college. While a lot more serious now, Zhulong is very good at sniffing out the best targets for pranks and clearly, Yibo is the victim for the day.

Zhulong doesn’t protest further, disappearing immediately, followed a few seconds later by a despondent little lion cub.

Yibo rightens his chair and slides quietly back into his seat, staring down at his tray, chewing on his bottom lip, willing his heart to calm down. He is so focused he barely flinches when a warm hand is placed over his, not even registering it really.

“I’m sorry.”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head and squeezes his hand. “No. That was all Zhulong. He used to do this a lot in college but there were very few predators amongst any of those I knew who had corporeal daemons. One of my roommates had a tortoise. You can imagine how unlikely him being murdered by a tortoise is so he must have been itching to do it since he saw Baidi.”

“Bailong. His name is Bailong. Baidi to everyone else,” Yibo’s voice is so quiet Xiao Zhan has to strain to hear it.

“Does he have a dragon form?”

“Sometimes.” Yibo looks up, his eyes showing his discomfort clearly. “I shouldn’t have sent him away. I wouldn’t mind if he did it now though and took me with him. I’m sure everyone is staring at us.”

“Let them stare,” Xiao Zhan lets go of his hand and stands, moving the second table away and pulls his chair over so he is sitting with his back to the rest of the lunch hall and mostly blocking Yibo from view since he is taller. “Better?”

“Thank you.”

“No need. It’s the least I can do. You can call Bailong back if you want. I’m used to sending Zhulong to timeout but I don’t imagine you are.”

Yibo shakes his head minutely and starts to eat. “I can feel him and he’s sulking. Even if I brought him back, he’ll just whine and whine so I think it’s fine for now.”

“I took more meat for you so he could eat. I don’t mind a whiny little cub. It’s better than a smartass bunny any day.”

“I like your bunny,” Yibo admits, focusing on his food and refusing to look up. “I’ve always wanted a rabbit but I never could convince Bailong to change into one.”

“I don’t think you’ve got the right personality for a bunny somehow although I am convinced Zhulong is corrupted,” Xiao Zhan laughs easily. “There are bunnies in this drama, aren’t there? I’ll make sure you get to play with as many as you want.”

Yibo finally looks up, the two men sharing shy grins, watched by basically the entire cast, but only the directors catch the smiles.

— 

“Well, that was eventful.”

“What were the chances of both of them having daemons with multiple forms?”

“I can’t imagine the math required for that.”

“Their daemons touched.”

“I noticed that.”

“I don’t know if that’s considered touching really.”

“Oh, don’t be a party pooper. The rabbit had to consent even if it was for a prank and for it to trust that lion enough to pull off that terrible prank says something to me and they’ve only just met. Yibo was genuinely horrified the poor boy.”

“Good point.”

—

“Do you think Yibo is the 1%?”

“Thought we decided to keep their eyes normal.”

“Yes, but have you seen the eyes on his daemon? He’d be absolutely stunning.”

“It’s worth an ask anyway.”

They continue watching the pair, smiling fondly when Yibo’s lion cub materialises in his lap about halfway through the meal, coaxed by both Yibo and Xiao Zhan to eat something, its liquid gold eyes showing its hurt for a few minutes before it allows itself to be pampered shamelessly, basking in the attention of Xiao Zhan in particular.

“Does that count as touching?” Xuan Lu asks curiously when she sees Xiao Zhan feeding the lion cub a piece of meat directly from his own chopsticks. And it wasn’t just a single occurrence. 

“There’s no physical contact, just…an indirect kiss…to a daemon” Haikuan offers the obvious causing chuckles around the table.

“Well, I never thought I’d ever meet one person with a shifting daemon, and somehow we have two and they are our leads. If anything, this will be a hell of an interesting shoot.”

“Did any of you notice Yibo’s daemon is male?”

“I knew before this but his daemon isn’t exactly unknown and it hasn’t caused him any issues so I don’t see any reason to point it out.”

“It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

“Yeah, but considering what we’re filming, I’m curious as fuck about Xiao Zhan’s daemon. I can’t imagine they would actually cast the two leads knowing full well the sex of their daemons.”

“If it’s male too?”

“Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

“Same-sex daemons don’t automatically mean they’re gay.”

“It does automatically mean they’re at least bi though and I agree with Yubin. Considering what we’re filming, it’s quite risqué. While it is accepted, our country still doesn’t like it shoved in everyone’s faces and Yibo’s daemon is very in your face. You can’t miss it.”

“I’m sure the sex of their daemons is not important. They’re literally two of the most unique humans on the planet and maybe they were cast precisely because of the sex of their daemons. Did anyone think about that? Yibo is well-known, much more than Xiao Zhan and even if they didn’t know until after casting that Xiao Zhan’s daemon is male, I think it will just make the drama and their chemistry better. No one should care about it either way.”

“I don’t care either way,” Haikuan’s voice is soft, but it is heard.

“Neither do I,” Xuan Lu utters firmly and she looks down the table. “And if anyone of you does, I suggest you keep it to yourself.”

“The pretty lady has teeth,” someone snickers but another kicks him in the shin and he shuts up.

Silence descends at the large crowded table, making the laughter at the corner table all the more obvious.

—

Yibo stares at the subdued rabbit sitting forlornly in the middle of the twin bed opposite him. Bailong is drowsing in his lap, sounding like a little motorboat with his purrs, so full from his meal that he has a visible little pot belly.

“Zhulong, are you okay?”

“What do you think?”

Lifting Bailong gently off his lap and laying him on his pillow, Yibo gets up and goes over to his backpack that he had been carrying earlier. Removing a steel lunchbox, he opens it as he walks back to the sleeping area of the small room, placing it gently next to the woebegone white rabbit who jerks away in surprise for Yibo’s hand had been so close he had almost touched him. 

“Sorry,” Yibo scratches at his arm nervously. “I didn’t mean to get so close.”

Zhulong shakes its head, cute little pink nose twitching interestedly as he peers into the lunchbox. “You startled me, that’s all. Don’t worry about it. What’s this?” he asks, looking up curiously.

Yibo wrinkles his own nose in response to the twitches of the rabbit, and gazes at the food. “I thought you might be hungry. Zhan-ge said you like vegetables even if you pretend you don’t so…”

“So you got me some vegetables?”

“Yeah…” Yibo’s voice is sheepish and he looks away, feeling uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed. He has not interacted much with anyone’s daemons before apart from his parents’, for everyone he knows well in the entertainment business except for Wang Han and Han Geng do not have one. Wang Han’s and Han Geng’s daemons are fixed, a pig and monkey respectively and his Bailong gets along reasonably well with both but with them being much older, Bailong still keeps to himself and the other daemons don’t seek out Yibo or his daemon in any particular way.

There are some Korean idols who are like him with changing daemons, notably BigBang’s leader G-Dragon, Super Junior’s Heechul and both members of TVXQ. G-Dragon’s daemon changes depending on his mood, shifting from one bird to another. He knows of four; dove, owl, peacock and eagle. U-Know Yunho’s daemon is generally in the form of some type of bear or other, whether in cub or adult form. In its cutest form, his daemon is a panda cub and usually clinging to Max Changmin’s daemon when in this form. Daemons never touch unless they consider the other family in some way or other, and he remembers the absolute uproar this caused back when he was still a trainee. Yunho had injured his ankle and was pretty much permanently in panda cub form for a few weeks and during the entire time, it would be carried by Changmin’s alpaca daemon whenever they were out in public. Despite the insane rudeness of anyone daring to even ask about it in the first place, the younger half of TVXQ never gets offended, merely smiling mysteriously and changing the subject. He is the only person Yibo knows of who has both a water and land daemon, changing into a bottlenose dolphin when it is anywhere near water, making for some very special and unique photoshoots for TVXQ.

He met Heechul’s daemon during a variety program, the animal nearly as stunning as its human. Unlike GD, Heechul’s daemon changes at will, but it keeps within the cat family. During the show, it had been the most beautiful rag doll cat with the bluest eyes he had ever seen. Even his Bailong had been distracted during the filming and Heechul had teased him about it in broken Chinese. All he remembers from that show is how overly warm he felt the whole time and even thinking about it now brings a telltale tingling to his ears. After filming, the man had been picked up by another idol in a showy convertible with its top down and a sleek black panther in the back seat. Heechul’s rag doll had transformed into a matching panther as it leapt into the back, equally lean and sleek and Yibo had watched the car drive away with the two laughing idols in the front and their daemons in the back with a sense of longing he did not understand. He later finds out via another uproar that the other idol was former TVXQ member Kim Jaejoong and his daemon is fixed as that black panther.

Many had believed his daemon to be fixed and had naturally given him a wide berth because of it for Bailong was more often than not in his adult lion form, watching his surroundings intently, his long tail whipping back and forth slowly behind it as if waiting for something. In private though, all of UNIQ and their managers know of the pouty spoiled little lion cub who could commit murder in front of witnesses and would likely still get away with it. It is only in the last few months that the lion cub had deigned to make an appearance in public, and he had made the national news when that had been revealed. While his change this time had been forced by the magic of the phoenix feather, he does not doubt that he will be seeing more of the little Bailong in the months to come. He had been just a little too smug at lunch while being fed by Xiao Zhan to disappear and despite his protests, he definitely adores being called cute.

He has only belatedly remembered that a daemon is its human’s responsibility and no one else’s. He has probably just insulted his co-star for he had not told the man what he had done, Xiao Zhan called away by the directors as soon as they had finished eating, leaving Yibo alone with Bailong. Yibo hadn’t been surprised to find himself rooming with his co-star upon entering the previously empty room he had been assigned and finding Zhulong on the other bed. The shower is still going, indicating where his human is. 

The rabbit sits back on its hind legs, cocking its head in a very human-like manner, staring thoughtfully at the nervous human standing awkwardly and gazing around the room. Anywhere but at it.

“Xiao Zhan normally feeds me…” the rabbit finally speaks and lowers itself back on all fours, gazing up at Yibo hopefully.

“You…do you want me to feed you?”

The rabbit shrugs. “Well, Xiao Zhan usually takes a long shower at the end of the day so its either you or I get my paws dirty,” it sniffs, making sure the human is aware of its preference.

Yibo doesn’t reply, taking the chopsticks stuck to the lid of his lunchbox and sitting on the floor between the two beds. He picks up a piece of turnip and offers it to the rabbit who grabs it in its mouth immediately, crunching down on it loudly, eliciting a small smile from the young man.

They are mostly silent, Zhulong doing most of the talking, and he is busy regaling Yibo about how Xiao Zhan used to sing in the dorms with his group mates wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a sheet mask when the man emerges from the bathroom.

In a bathrobe and a sheet mask.

Yibo laughs so hard that Bailong actually wakes up laughing, the little lion cub completely disoriented and looking so endearingly confused as it blinks its honey gold eyes slowly trying to figure out what was going on, that Xiao Zhan had declared very loudly that he was disowning the chortling Zhulong and adopting the adorable Bailong instead.

Unsurprisingly, despite liking the man more than he has anyone else, Bailong had leapt from the bed, landing on the prone Yibo on the floor and burrowed under his teeshirt. He doesn’t do a very good job of it, pushing the young man’s teeshirt up and only managing to hide its face, exposing Yibo from chest down.

Too focused on his panicked daemon and trying to calm it, Yibo doesn’t notice Xiao Zhan checking him out, taking in the lean body, the soft outline of abs, and the small barbell in his left nipple.

Zhulong snickers and nibbles at the discarded chopsticks, watching his human’s neck and ears turn an interesting shade of red.

~~~

Xiao Zhan startles awake in a darkened room.

Blinking in the semi-darkness with help from the crack of light from the bathroom door left slightly ajar after Yibo had sheepishly explained that he does not like to sleep in complete darkness, he slowly gains sight and his bearings.

Looking across to the other bed, he finds his co-star awake and staring at him as well.

“It woke you too?”

“Too?” Xiao Zhan’s voice cracks and he clears his throat. “I don’t know what woke me.” He feels it then. A tingling at the back of his neck, the feeling familiar but he hasn’t felt it since he had last been home and his rabbit daemon had been pounced on and smothered by his mother’s siamese cat daemon.

He definitely shouldn’t be feeling it now.

Instead of answering, Yibo points to the space between their beds.

Confused, Xiao Zhan leans over and the tingling intensifies.

He can only stare, jaw unlocked, wondering if he is hallucinating.

Yibo rubs the back of his neck, trying to get the tingling to stop, but he knows it is fruitless. He is confused and if he is honest, a little frightened. He is not sure what is going on for daemons like his are rare and since daemons are generally a taboo subject anyway, a matter so intensely private that speaking or asking about it is almost as bad as asking someone about their bedroom preferences, he has never had a conversation about them outside his parents. They had given him the basics of course, both of them with fixed daemons of their own, a wolf for his father and a snow leopard for his mother. 

He knows what the tingling means. What he doesn’t understand is why.

“Am I dreaming?”

Yibo hears the softly uttered question and he knows exactly how the other man is feeling.

“It would be weird if you were because why am I in it?”

The silence gets even more awkward after that when a loud purring starts up.

The room is silent apart from the little furry motorboat.

“Lions can’t purr,” Xiao Zhan finally speaks, his voice hushed in the darkness.

“I know.”

“Yours can.”

“I know.”

“This is weird.”

Yibo lets out a strangled sound, a nervous laugh he chokes off. “That’s the understatement of the century. This is your Zhulong’s fault.”

“Mine?”

Yibo points at the shenanigans going on between their beds. “Your rabbit is spooning my baby lion.”

“Cub.”

“What?”

“A baby lion is a cub.”

“I know.”

“Your cub is purring.”

Yibo’s expression twists into wry amusement, knowing the other man cannot really see it in the semi-darkness. He had taken Xiao Zhan to be quite worldly and very easy to talk to. Someone able to catch his thoughts easily and articulate them properly and encourage others to feel at ease in doing the same unlike Yibo who is the complete opposite in all those ways. But it seems in the darkness of their room and with his daemon likely breaking every written and unwritten rule about interacting with other daemons, Xiao Zhan has lost his eloquence.

"Zhan-ge," Yibo speaks quietly. "Are you okay?"

"No."

At least he is honest. Yibo feels a little comforted by that because he is definitely not okay.

"Should we wake them?"

Xiao Zhan is silent for a long time, at least five minutes by Yibo's reckoning. His Bailong filling up their space with his soft purring or snoring, whichever it is, not that the difference matters. The cub is happy and that's the most telling thing of all.

"Do you want to?" Xiao Zhan finally replies, and it makes his younger co-star laugh, the sound different compared to the cackling of earlier. It is quiet and very low in tone, closer in note to his speaking voice and Xiao Zhan feels the tingling at his neck intensifying.

"Not really." 

Yibo shakes his head in the darkness and moves to lay back down, but not properly. Instead, he climbs his legs up the wall next to him and lays back across the width of the bed. He keeps his legs vertical against the wall, the cool cement pressed against the thin material covering his ass. He clenches involuntarily before reaching his arms up and stretching, a few clicks here and there at the stretch makes him sigh in contentment and he shuffles backwards until his head overhangs the side, the curve of the bed fitting nicely against his tingling neck. 

"What are you doing?"

"Stretching."

"Are you going to sleep like that?"

"Maybe, but I don't think I can. My neck is itching something chronic and I can't get rid of it." To illustrate his point, Yibo moves his head back and forth, the edge of the bed scratching quite nicely against his neck. Perfectly in fact and he lets out another sigh of contentment. "What time is it?"

"Almost half five."

"I can wake you if you want to sleep. We were told to meet at seven for breakfast since we have to be at the script reading by half seven at the latest. We can go earlier if you want or you can sleep and I'll bring something for you."

Xiao Zhan is watching the twenty year old intently in the darkness, taking in his fill of the man's long legs in his jammies that are a smidge too short, exposing his ankles. He knows Yibo isn't as tall as he is meant to be as Lan Wangji who at 1.88m is almost two inches taller than his own 1.83m. The younger man actually near two inches shorter than himself in fact. However, Xiao Zhan cannot comment on the matter because it isn't as if he is quite as comfortable with his own character yet either. The directors made a good point about reading the source material because if he wants to be believable, he will have to understand his character inside out. 

"You're not sleeping?"

"Nah. It was this bad when I first returned home after three years in Seoul. My mother's daemon wouldn't let mine out of her sight for the whole week I was back. It was very difficult to sleep and I gave up trying." He chuckles lightly. "Who would have thought I'd get more sleep in my dorm room than in my own childhood bed?"

Xiao Zhan's brow wrinkles. He knows out of all the cast members, Yibo, despite being one of the youngest, is actually their biggest star and he sounds like he gave up a lot to get where he is. Finding a newfound resolve he wasn't feeling the previous day, Xiao Zhan is even more determined to live and breathe Wei Wuxian if only to allow his Lan Wangji to shine as brightly as he deserves.

Taking a deep breath, he throws off his bed covers and exits from the other side of his bed to avoid accidentally disturbing their cuddling daemons. He is still confused about that, but he will interrogate Zhulong later. His daemon has a mischievous streak a mile long and if he somehow drags Bailong into his messes, he is going to have to preempt it with his human and apologise in advance. 

There is a rather loud nagging thought at the back of his mind reminding him that Zhulong, despite being mischievous and sassy, is very picky about who he interacts with, especially when it comes to other daemons. He has no issue with playing pranks and teasing others but he doesn't actually get close to any of the other daemons. In fact, if daemons had hierarchies, it is clear that their Zhulong and Bailong are at the top, but Zhulong as a phoenix is considered one of the rarest, imbued with its own powerful magic. For him to have outed himself just to make a point to Yibo had been interesting to Xiao Zhan. He had been meaning to speak with his daemon about it but after that awful prank and all the subsequent commitments he had with the directors, he barely managed to even remember to feed his daemon let alone discuss a topic like this.

Yibo watches as Xiao Zhan approaches him, an eyebrow going up when the man places a knee on his bed. 

"Move over a bit. My neck is itchy too and I can't do what you're doing on your bed since you took the wall."

"I did get here first," Yibo retorts quickly, a little defensive at the unsaid implication he discerns that he somehow stole the wall. He does however, move as far as he can to give the older man some room. An errant thought enters his head, his nose twitching, Bailong's strong sense of smell leaking over to him as it is wont to do. Xiao Zhan smells very good.

Xiao Zhan speaks as he rearranges himself on the bed to mimic Yibo's pose. "It's fine. I don't like sleeping next to the wall because I always get startled by the cold if I turn into it. I've woken up shouting before so it's actually best if you slept here unless you like being abruptly woken up."

"You mean like half an hour ago?" Yibo relaxes and points out, a touch of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, exactly like that but a lot more terrifying and disorientating," Xiao Zhan allows the wide smile to work its way into his words, sighing when he finally gets comfortable on his back, allowing his legs to rest before yelping immediately when his ass hits the wall. "F---, it's cold!"

Yibo turns and buries his face into his pillow, shoulders shaking with laughter. While Xiao Zhan knows why he is hiding, he would have preferred to hear that strange yet extremely endearing and captivating laugh that makes him want to laugh too. He says nothing and just waits until Yibo gets a hold of himself and returns to lie on his back.

"Sorry," Yibo apologises quietly, wiping away the liquid leaking from the corners of his eyes. He's not sure why, maybe it's the time of morning, or maybe it's his daemon being uncharacteristically permissive with Xiao Zhan's, but he's feeling a little like his world has tilted on its axis and the laugh had helped let out some of the tension he didn't realise he was still holding. He has always been like that though, tense, especially since he started carrying out activities alone. He is still not used to it, but there's not much he can do about it. It's either that or do nothing and Yibo is someone who absolutely cannot do nothing. He doesn't know how. He can barely sit still half the time.

"Don't apologise if you don't mean it," Xiao Zhan chuckles. "Isn't that your line or my line somewhere?"

"Mine. No need for sorry or thank you between us."

"Why do you think he said that?"

Yibo folds his hands high up on his chest, his left wrist covering the piercing he forgot to switch out for something a lot more discreet. He might just take it out altogether, having had it for long enough that it should be alright. He stares up into the darkness and thinks about Xiao Zhan’s question.

And he comes up with an embarrassing blank.

“I haven’t read the source material,” he finally admits, rubbing his wrist over the barbell to distract himself. “It’s in my bag somewhere. I did promise to read it by the end of the camp.”

“We can read it together then. I haven’t read it either.”

“Mn.”

Xiao Zhan lets out a soft huff and shuffles marginally closer to the younger man on the bed. “For what it’s worth, just based on that sound alone, I think you’d make a great Lan Wangji.”

Yibo feels the warmth exploding in his chest at those words. He knows there has been a lot of talk over his casting and especially over his height and androgyny of his younger years. Bailong had forbade him from looking at any more comments online, pointing out rather fairly that his negative feelings spill over to him and the daemon could do without that. Criticism of his height is absolutely something he cannot do anything about so why read comments when you can’t get anything from it except negativity?

His thoughts are still wandering when a small furry body lands on the bed and drops heavily against his chest, narrowly missing his piercing. 

“Your happiness woke me up,” Bailong mumbles loudly, eyes closed as he splays across his human’s chest. “It was like a happy bomb detonated in my chest. Why are you so happy so early in the morning when it’s not yet time to wake?”

Yibo is absolutely mortified, and Xiao Zhan’s gentle giggle makes it even worse.

“Ignore him. He’s dreaming.”

“Sure. Just like I dreamt this rascal practically sleeping on your Bailong.”

Yibo turns to his right and finds Zhulong on Xiao Zhan’s chest, also splayed out like his Bailong and apparently asleep. Well, perhaps trying to sleep because Xiao Zhan is petting its head rather roughly.

“Let him sleep.”

“He’s not asleep.”

Zhulong sits up with a huff and shoves at Xiao Zhan’s fingers, baring its bunny teeth much to the amusement of its owner. “How does anyone sleep with you trying to noogie their heads?” He glances over at the lion cub drowsing on Yibo’s chest and he calls out quietly. “Bailong?”

“Mn…gege?”

Yibo’s eyebrow is in his hairline. Beyond his hairline. It’s gone. He’s gone. He is pretty sure his soul just left his body. He doesn’t even dare look at Xiao Zhan. His hair is standing on end as his adorably ruffled lion cub looks up and over at the bunny who even in the darkness, Yibo can see has heart eyes for his cub. It is absolutely ludicrous and yet, something tells him not say anything.

The two daemons appear to be communicating, and Bailong turns back to Yibo and pads quietly up his chest to his cheek and licks it before nuzzling and then saying a quiet, _be good_ before hopping off. 

Zhulong doesn’t bother with Xiao Zhan, simply hopping off after the cub. 

Both humans turn at the same time, nearly colliding with each other on the bed but by some miracle, managing not to though their shoulders almost touch. They both watch bemused as the two daemons make themselves comfortable in the middle of Xiao Zhan’s bed.

Unable to take it anymore, Xiao Zhan calls out. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Zhulong replies snippily and purposefully turns its back before flopping down next to the already prone Bailong.

“Kinda looks like you’re breaking all sorts of daemon rules to me.” 

Zhulong’s laughter is remarkably like Xiao Zhan’s and Yibo has to shake his head to make sure the sound is coming from the daemon and not the man next to him. “That’s the problem with humans isn’t it? You make up rules when you don’t understand something.” He ends there without further explanation, and in less than a minute, the furry motorboat starts up again.

The two humans continue looking at their daemons in the semi-darkness, before they turn as one, twin mirrored movements to lie back on their backs and stare up at the ceiling.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“Bailong doesn’t even call me gege.”

“You’re the same age,” Xiao Zhan points out with a smile.

“I know but…it’s weird. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Neither do I. Zhulong was only like this with my parents’ daemons,” the older man admits. “Does it bother you?”

Yibo contemplates the ceiling, crossing his arms over his chest, hooking a hand across each opposite shoulder. “I don’t know. Can I think about it?”

“Of course.”

They lie there in silence for a few of minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Does it…does it bother you?” Yibo finally asks hesitantly. He had wanted to ask at the beginning but for some reason, he is oddly worried about getting an answer from Xiao Zhan that says he doesn’t like it. They’re supposed to act as soulmates or some such and he’s not sure if he can handle it if his co-lead doesn’t like his daemon for any reason because disliking his daemon would by extension mean disliking him and he really wouldn’t be able to bear that. He knows he can be quite blunt and honest and it applies to both negative and positive emotions. Having a large predator as a daemon is helpful in keeping anyone except those truly interested in knowing him at bay, and those who do get closer will not be offended by his blunt awkwardness.

“It did when I first woke up but now, I can’t say that it does," Xiao Zhan answers honestly, carding his hand through his hair. "When I saw your daemon, I thought there was a chance something might happen. I just wasn’t sure what it would be and I certainly didn't know it would come in this form."

Yibo stares up at the ceiling, worrying his lower lip before he speaks, his voice low, thrumming from his chest and he does not realise the other man has turned to look at him. "Something?"

"Look at me."

Yibo turns his head, finding that he can see the other man's handsome face quite easily despite the darkness. His cheekbones are high and he knows in the weeks to come, they will likely get more prominent. He suddenly wants to poke his cheek just because he may not get a chance again, but he resists. Dropping his hands from his shoulders, he interlaces them across his belly, still staring waiting for the other man to speak, only belatedly realising that maybe the man is expecting him to say something. He flushes slightly and is very glad for the darkness. His lack of understanding for simple social cues, while improving thanks to Day Day Up, is still not quite that of a normal functioning human and he feels it acutely despite the darkness. He can practically hear Han-ge’s voice in his head chiding him for his thoughts, reminding him that he doesn’t have to be normal because he isn’t normal _and that is a good thing_.

"Uh...yes?"

"Why did you pick a BL drama?"

Of all the questions Yibo had been preparing for, that was definitely not one of them. His sexual orientation is unfortunately on display pretty much daily. Unable to compromise and unwilling to make his daemon find another form for he is himself comfortable with the handsome adult male lion, he had grown up with people staring strangely at him. It wasn't as bad as a kid oddly enough since his daemon made any bully think at least twice before approaching him, and even if he were left alone for a short amount of time, they never did. They talked of course and sometimes loud enough for him to overhear their misguided speculations, but apart from one girl who had passed him a note at recess one day with the prettiest handwriting obscuring the intrusive questions - _so is it true? you're gay? or do you like both? one tick for gay and two ticks for both_ , no one in school had ever spoken to him about it. Bailong had made a show of eating that piece of paper while staring at her with his golden eyes hardened in annoyance. 

He had almost been passed over for debut while training at Yuehua and YG because of Bailong. There is however a certain status accorded to people like him with daemons like Bailong so they were, in a way, forced to accommodate or face being accused of discrimination. There are many nights where he lies alone in bed wondering if the pseudo disbandment of UNIQ was solely attributable to the fact that he shamelessly walks around with a male adult lion. He knows of at least one other person in the business whose daemon is also male, while being male himself, but most daemon forms make it easy to hide the sex of an animal. For Yibo, not so much. 

And still, he does not care. He would pick his daemon over the approval of the masses any day and he has never made that a secret, especially since he's had to fend for himself without his UNIQ brothers. He sets the boundaries of his relationship with the press and with his fans and despite being so young, he has never wavered. While he still has no idea whether this is the right way to do it, it was the right way for him. 

So for his new co-star to bluntly ask what most would consider a question with an underlying motive that some might consider a little sinister in its intention is a little surprising to him. No one has asked him why he wanted this role. His agents do as they are told, knowing better than to question him when he has his mind set on something for he rarely, if ever, deviates from it. Even after being rejected twice and despite his hectic schedule, he made the trip to face the directors in person, determined to get the role. 

He knows he has been silent for awhile and in all honesty, he is in part wondering how to answer and the other, waiting for an apology for the unusually rude question.

The apology never comes even as the minutes drag on. Xiao Zhan is still staring at him and he finally turns bodily to face the man. If he wants to stare, he might as well get the full effect.

"Why not?"

The resultant grin to his sullen question is so wide he can see the man's teeth quite clearly.

Xiao Zhan chuckles. "You know, I thought you were working up the courage to punch me."

"Can't even if I wanted to, which for the record, I don't. If I wanted to punch you, I wouldn't hesitate."

The chuckles grow a little lower in pitch. "You wouldn't, would you? Ah Yibo...how did we end up here?"

"We auditioned."

"I auditioned for Xue Yang."

"I got rejected twice for Lan Wangji. I had to fly over to convince them in person."

Xiao Zhan's eyes widen at the easy confession. "Seriously? You wanted it that badly?"

Yibo shrugs lightly. "I fight for what I want."

"Which returns me to my original question. Why--"

"Zhulong is a boy isn't he?" Yibo cuts the other man off abruptly.

The seconds tick by. Yibo can hear the change in the older man's breathing. Xiao Zhan sounds as if he is trying to hold his breath or at least, try to control it.

"Yes," he finally answers in rush of air and his laughter this time cracks slightly at the edges. "I can count on one hand the people who know this for a fact."

"Why me?"

"We're sharing a room and Bailong will tell you in the morning anyway."

"True," Yibo nods. "No other daemon has found out?"

This time, Xiao Zhan's laughter is genuine. "Zhulong has never touched another daemon that wasn’t my parents’.”

"Will you ask him about that later?”

"I can ask. Whether he will answer is a different story altogether."

Yibo drops his hand between them for a moment, before sliding it under his cheek and making himself more comfortable in his new position, curling his body a little tighter, his knees almost hitting the older man. His legs are feeling a little cramped but the other man is a good two inches taller than he is at the very least so he probably feels it more so he says nothing. 

"Bailong too but I don't mind. I like that he's independent."

"Me too but don't tell Zhulong that. As far as daemons go, mine is a little too independent by every yardstick known to humans."

Yibo leans forward slightly, eyes wide. "You got tested?"

Xiao Zhan's lips thin and he nods tightly. 

"I didn't know it was optional until after it happened," Yibo stares off into the darkness over Xiao Zhan's shoulder. "My parents were so angry with the agency they threatened to sue."

"I would have sued." Xiao Zhan replies quietly. "How old were you?"

"Thirteen."

The flare of anger within Xiao Zhan is so strong it wakes Zhulong who sits up, ready to shift into his most ferocious form if he had to, already feeling the flames in its belly as the red dragon. It takes him a few seconds to figure out that there is no imminent threat but the simmering rage within his human is making his fur stand on end. He turns to make sure the little cub is still asleep before hopping off the bed to comfort his human.

"I was twenty-four and I never want to go through it again. You were 13...who do I have to kill?"

"You mean who do I have to kill?" Zhulong asks wryly, scooting under Xiao Zhan's chin and nuzzling against his throat. "Is this what's making you mad?"

"Mn."

Xiao Zhan reaches up to stroke the white bunny who to Yibo's untrained eye, looks smaller than he did while spooning his Bailong. It is polite to look away if a daemon is comforting its human, but Yibo figures they've basically shared what most would consider intimate details so he doesn't look away. In fact, he is quite tempted to reach out and stroke the bunny's body because he looks so soft and inviting, the bright white fur is a nice flash of colour in the shadowed room. He does manage to resist though, sticking his free hand under his chin to trap it with the hand already there.

The sassy aggravating Zhulong is gone and in its place is an adorable and affectionate daemon sending comfort into its human to the point where Xiao Zhan starts making soft pleased sounds at every other nuzzle.

Yibo gets like that with Bailong of course but never in front of anyone.

Ever.

He bites his bottom lip and drags his eyes from the rabbit nuzzling against the sharp Adam's apple of the other man to look up.

His eyes hover over the curve of the man's mouth, lingering on his bottom lip in particular, wondering whether is feels as soft as it looks, thinking not for the first time if they can get past the censors with one kiss. Homosexuality is still looked at sideways but it is not as taboo as it once was, the daemon guilds made sure of it. However for it to be seen on screen in China of all places is still not as common as in other countries. He knows the directors and producers want the drama to reach beyond the shores of China though but for that to happen, they must first gain success within its own shores. Maybe he can suggest having special cuts for international audiences if it came to that. He doubts they will say no. The only person who may and could protest would be the silent man staring back at him on his bed. Whether he would protest, Yibo has no idea.

And he wants to find out.

"It hurt but Bailong took the brunt of it," he finally speaks, taking his thoughts back a step. "I'm not sure what happened because I can't remember and Bailong won't talk about it, but my fear of being alone in the dark stemmed from it. My parents still don't know the fear stemmed from that though even if my fear is public knowledge. I think they definitely would have sued if they knew."

“You are still within the statute of limitation," Xiao Zhan's voice is grim in the darkness. “It hasn’t been ten years.”

Zhulong is still offering him comfort, but the bunny is looking at Yibo now, likely staring a hole in his face for agitating his human so much. 

Yibo slips a hand from under his cheek and waves it in the air. "It's over. I have Bailong so the dark doesn't bother me as much as it sounds." 

As if hearing its name, the cub suddenly appears seemingly out of nowhere between the two men and snuggles against Yibo's chest. His tail is swishing back and forth, not as long as it is in adult form, but long enough that it flicks at Zhulong's nose, making him sneeze.

The sound is sharp in the darkness and after a stunned second, all four start laughing.

"You menace," Zhulong grumbles without heat.

"You left me alone in bed. You're lucky it wasn't a claw," Bailong replies snippily, burrowing himself determinedly against Yibo's chest until the laughing young man wraps his arm around him and hugs his daemon close, Bailong making a growling affectionate sound as he is squeezed.

Nuzzling his own nose against the back of his cub's head, Yibo shakes his head in surprise. Resting his chin lightly on the top of his adorable cub, he asks. "When did you become so forward? You've never slept with another daemon before."

"Gege is not another daemon. Gege is gege."

Flushing slightly at the petulant note in the baby lion's voice, Yibo coaxes the daemon onto its back and rubs its belly, smiling at the way his paws wave around in mid-air with the motion. "What do you mean gege is gege? Since when did you call anyone gege?"

"He doesn't know," Zhulong remarks drily, speaking to his counterpart. "You didn't tell him?"

"We've met."

Yibo's dances his hand up and down the cub's belly lightly, his head cradled in his palm as he looks down at the innocent looking cub slow-blinking up at him. Dawn is upon them and the room is growing slowly but surely brighter. He can make out his daemon's features enough to be able to read its face. 

"What do you mean you've met?"

"At Day Day Up. We spoke during the recording."

"Ah..." Yibo bites his lip, his eyes telling his daemon to stay silent but the cub merely smirks and leans up to take a long lick from his chin to his hairline, making him chuckle. 

That low sound again, as if it is reverberating from his chest. Completely different from the gremlin laughter in the canteen. This one is more affectionate, more intimate. Xiao Zhan wants to hear it every day.

Every morning.

Every night.

Zhulong's ear flicks at his nose and he tears his attention from the younger man nuzzling his daemon to look at his own. 

"You don't remember do you?" Zhulong whispers. Less than a whisper actually.

He turns and snuffles up his human's shoulder and settles against his throat again. Xiao Zhan still has remnants of anger from earlier he has not processed properly so Zhulong sends him more comfort without taking away his need to address the matter with his handsome young co-star.

"How can I forget? I don't remember seeing Bailong though."

"Bailong stayed in the hosts' dressing room that day." Zhulong pauses, his nose twitching. "Well, mostly. He found me in the guest dressing room about halfway through the shoot."

"Does he normally stay there?"

Zhulong shrugs and leans its head against Xiao Zhan's pulse, the strong beat is a comfort to him. 

"Yes and no. When Yibo first started, he was always onset basically scaring everyone shitless," the bunny chuckles. "That kid is definitely more bark than bite. His heart though..." he trails off and moves to look over at the younger pair. 

Xiao Zhan turns as well, and the smile that settles on his face is fond. Much too fond. He does not realise this though.

Yibo has his eyes closed, his cheek back on the mattress and resting against his hand. The other is still rubbing Bailong's belly, but the cub is drawn up to him so he is basically spooning the cute little lion against his chest. His mouth is obscured behind the cub's head but Xiao Zhan can see his cheeks moving and every now and again, those adorably full cheeks with its tug up in a smile. Like him, he is conversing with his daemon, and like him, it is in something less than a whisper. He cannot hear them, just like he knows they cannot hear him and Zhulong. The sounds coming from the daemon are akin to a low growl that is so affectionate Xiao Zhan decides to just call it a purr.

His eyes drop from Yibo's face and he is startled to see the tawny amber eyes of the cub on him. As he watches, it yawns widely, tongue licking its own nose before it stares at him for a few more seconds before turning in the protective curve of Yibo's body. The younger man doesn't open his eyes, but his smile is wide. 

Wider than Xiao Zhan has seen on him yet and his heart thumps painfully in his chest as he remembers.

He is very close to his daemon. Perhaps too close that his agency had felt the need to make him undergo the test at thirteen. A test to determine the strength of the bond between human and daemon. The stronger the bond, the more independent the daemon. Some, like Zhulong, have their own magic and it is required by law to undergo the test voluntarily before the age of 25 once the magical form manifests. After 25, it becomes mandatory. He doesn't know of anyone who has left it so late though, the tester at the facility he went to mentioning that he is the oldest they have ever heard of. Like Yibo, it was his agency who _suggested_ that he go.

"He has a lion's heart. That is why Bailong is a lion. He is territorial as hell and will fight to the death to protect anything and anyone he claims as his."

Xiao Zhan has no idea why those words prickle across his skin, making him feel overly warm. He shifts, wishing he could take off his top without it seeming strange. 

"What does that make you then?"

"Cute," Zhulong replies laughing quietly. 

"Don't lead him astray please."

Zhulong chuckles and shakes his head. "Ah...if only you knew."

"What?"

"It's not mine to share. I'll let Yibo tell you. I'm sure it'll sound better coming from him."

"Zhulong..."

"Xiao Zhan..." the daemon replies in the exact same tone. 

"At least tell me why you and Bailong are so...friendly."

"Ah," the bunny leans up to look at its human. "He's the only one like me that I've met and vice versa. He came into the room because he could smell me from the other room and it was bothering him because a certain someone was making him feel fond towards this strange smell."

"Fond?"

'We're treading into territory where it's better if you hear it from Yibo," Zhulong warns. "Let's just say Bailong was very happy to see me."

"And I suppose you were happy to see him too."

"Why don't you ask yourself that," the bunny replies cryptically before he hops away from his human and moves to nuzzle against the back of the lion cub. Xiao Zhan nearly reaches out when Yibo's hand narrowly misses brushing against Zhulong _who does not move away_. His damn rabbit even looks back over at him and he will recognise that smirk anywhere.

The cub rouses a little unsteadily, toppling against Yibo's face with a loud purr, licking his human's nose before he turns away and leaps off the bed. Before Xiao Zhan's eyes, the cub increases in size enough so that his presumptuous shit of a daemon bunny is able to hop on comfortably onto its back when he leans next to the bed.

“We're going for a walk."

"Uh-huh," Xiao Zhan replies to his bunny mechanically, still unsure as to what he is seeing. 

"You two should talk," the now teenage(?) lion looks over his shoulder with what is undeniably a smirk. "Yibo..." 

His tone is rather dulcet and befitting the handsome young lion, but there is a warning note in it that even Xiao Zhan can discern.

"Fine, you meddling thing. Do you want us to wait for you for breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

"Ok, please don't scare anyone unnecessarily."

Zhulong laughs. "I wasn't even thinking about it but not that you've mentioned it, we have to do it."

"Zhulong!" Xiao Zhan cries out but it falls on deaf ears as both daemons disappear.

The two men stare at each other and Yibo moves to sit up cross-legged in his bed, rubbing the back of his neck, his expression a little worried.

Xiao Zhan moves to mirror him, finding that he is oddly missing the tingle in the back of his neck. The further the daemons move away, the less he feels it until it disappears completely.

"So..." Yibo starts, dropping his eyes to his ankles. 

"So..." Xiao Zhan echoes him. "What were they insinuating?"

Yibo wrinkles his nose and sighs, looking up at the man mirroring him. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we were normal? Without corporeal daemons?" He rubs his arms, shaking the shiver that courses through his body at the blasphemous thought before answering his own question because Xiao Zhan remains silent. "I can't imagine life without Bailong but sometimes he makes me want to lock him up in timeout for a few days just to see if I can do without his knowing gaze."

"They're basically you."

Yibo shakes his head. "An extension."

Xiao Zhan nods. "Yes, but it is still you."

Yibo's smile is rueful. "Mn. The part of me I wish remained silent sometimes. People say I'm blunt but I think he's worse. It's a good thing he doesn't speak much in public."

The older actor looks at the younger man in the softened shadows. They had slept with the curtains open and the watery light of dawn is filtering through slowly but surely giving the very pretty Wang Yibo an ethereal appearance, as if the light has decided his face was their new canvas and were doing their best to present him in the literal best light possible. He looks softer, more approachable and yet there is a distinctly angelic quality to him that makes Xiao Zhan feel like some kind of interloper to dare be close to such innocence. The way his eyes track the minutiae of changes in Xiao Zhan's face makes him feel a little exposed. As if it is he with the secrets about to be laid bare. For a daemon to know something and encourage their human to speak of it surely means a secret no one else knows. Xiao Zhan has a suspicion as to what it is, but he would rather the young man come clean. He had been shocked to find out Yibo is only twenty for he acts far beyond his years, holding himself aloof and separate though apparently not by choice. He aches from somewhere in the deep wells of himself that only Zhulong knows about to make the young man smile. To make him feel safe enough that his daemon can remain as the adorable young lion cub that anyone would do anything for.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Secrets between a daemon and their human is for them to decide together whether to divulge. Bailong shouldn't have made you say anything."

Yibo takes a deep breath, willing his heart to calm the fuck down if even just a little and he shakes his head before Xiao Zhan had even finished his sentence.

"No, it's okay. He said it out loud because deep down he knows I want to confess. I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Confess?"

A bright smile bursts across his handsome features and it transforms his face instantly, making the ache in Xiao Zhan's chest disappear with its appearance. "Not that kind of confession," his grin turns playful. "Or did you want that kind of confession?" 

While his tone is playful, his eyes are intent on Xiao Zhan's face and he feels the animal magnetism he shares with his daemon. The bleed between them is quite apparent to him and he wonders if anyone else has picked up on it. Yibo walks with an easy grace coupled with a bit of a swagger. While both can be easily attributed to the fact that he is a dancer, Xiao Zhan suspects it is just a little bit more than that.

In all honesty, if he weren't so young, Xiao Zhan doesn't think he'd be opposed to _that_ kind of confession. If their daemons are anything to go by, he knows they are equally matched.

He smiles, and reaches over to pat the younger man's knee quickly before returning to his own personal space bubble. 

"Please take care of this old man. Serious confessions might do my heart in. At least let me have breakfast first so I may die on a full stomach."

A strange look comes over Yibo's face. "You're not that old."

"And you are very young," Xiao Zhan whispers kindly, seeing annoyance flash across the younger man's face. He holds up his hand to preempt the retort that is definitely coming. "It's not a bad thing. I wish I was younger half the time and definitely since I entered this industry."

Yibo makes a scoffing sound and he leans back against the head of his bed and crosses his arms, his mouth pursed petulantly and Xiao Zhan is immediately reminded of Bailong the lion cub. Daemon and human definitely run true with his co-lead.

"26 is hardly old."

"It is when you're starting out."

"Yes, but you have life experience. You know what the real world looks like and not this artificial construct we all live in." Yibo waves his arm out before returning it to cross over his chest. "This is nonsense."

"You must like this nonsense since you're the sunbae on this production."

Yibo leans forward, eyebrows going up, unable to hide the pleased expression on his face. "You speak Korean?"

Xiao Zhan laughs self-consciously and shakes his head. "Words here and there. I can understand more than I can speak. My mother loves Korean dramas and we used to watch them together."

"Oh," Yibo's excitement drops away like it was never there. He sits and stares at his lap for a moment before lifting his head, eyes open and clear. "Do you remember me?"

Xiao Zhan scratches the back of his neck, suddenly feeling nervous. In all honesty, that day at the Day Day Up studio was a bit of a blur. He remembers feeling stunned that Yibo was so young and already a host on a popular variety show. While the youngest and newest and also the quietest, there is something about him that will always draw your eyes to him. 

"I remember thinking you were very young."

"That bullshit again," Yibo spits out with feeling before he apologises for his expletive. He cards his hand roughly through his hair, his expression showing his displeasure. "Why do people fixate so much on my age? Age is just a number."

"And a prison cell is just a room."

Yibo's hand is arrested in his hair, blinking confusedly at the older man. "What?"

Xiao Zhan chuckles. "You've never heard that saying?" When the younger man shakes his head, he explains. "What you just said is usually something people robbing the cradle say. The counter to that is my comment about the prison cell being just a room since there is an assumption that cradle snatchers tend to go for teenagers.

"I'm not a teenager."

_Yes, but you sure as hell look like one._

Xiao Zhan knows better than to speak that thought out loud though, Yibo already on the defensive. He hums in agreement instead, eyeing the man carefully. "Yes, you are not." He shuffles a little closer to the younger man since he has moved further away. "So...what is this big secret?"

"You really don't remember? You don’t know?"

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. "Should I know?"

Yibo shrugs, drawing his attention to his surprisingly broad shoulders. Even as he thinks that, his thoughts wind down another path and his eyes drop to where Yibo's left nipple might be. He can make out the faint outline of the barbell and he sucks in his bottom lip to keep from remarking on it.

"I asked for your WeChat after the show." He rubs a hand over his face and sighs. "Actually, I asked my geges for it," he laughs to himself. "I didn't know how to ask you."

"But...you never contacted me. At least, I don't think you did."

"I didn't," Yibo confirms with a self-deprecating smile. "But it's neither here nor there. I don't want you to think I'm stalking you because Bailong will probably accidentally on purpose tell you what he actually wants me to confess to so it's probably best you hear it from me."

Xiao Zhan laughs in disbelief. "You? Stalk me? That would be the last thing that would ever cross my mind. Why would you, an accomplished dancer, singer and entertainer want to stalk me? I’m a nobody in this industry.”

Instead of answering that question, Yibo merely levels a gaze on the older man that silences him immediately. "I wanted this role because I knew you were Wei Wuxian."

The silence in the room is surprisingly comfortable as the two men stare at each other in the growing light. 

"Why?" Xiao Zhan finally asks the million dollar question. His fingers twitch on his thigh. He wants to touch the younger man.

Yibo cocks his head. "Would you believe me if I told you I don't know?"

"It depends if you truly don't know or you don't know how to tell me."

"I don't know. I would tell you if I knew. I'm not a liar and as anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm blunt to a fault."

"I can believe that," Xiao Zhan nods and it is apparently the correct answer because he is gifted by another lovely smile from the younger man. He returns the smile and gives in to the urge, reaching out to rub Yibo's knee. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

"This?"

Xiao Zhan points between them, his hand gesturing back and forth. "Us."

“Us as in Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian?” Yibo chuckles, his expression sly. “Are you wondering how you’re going to be convincing with me as the gege?” He licks his bottom lip with a smirk. “Especially since you’re so…old.”

“Wang Yibo! Can you be kinder?” Xiao Zhan leans away exasperatedly, unable to help his smile when the younger man starts laughing loudly. The gremlin laugh that makes him want to laugh too and he gives in to it eventually.

He does not bother correcting Yibo because he definitely had not meant their characters but he does not want to make it awkward between them. Their daemons have already done a reasonably good job of it and he wonders if the rest of the cast know enough about daemons to understand that the way theirs are behaving is uncommon.

“Should we bring them to the script reading or leave them here?”

Yibo’s voice cuts through Xiao Zhan’s thoughts along the same vein and he wonders about that too. He has never clicked this quickly with anyone, not even his bandmates or college roommates.

“What are you more comfortable with?” 

Yibo wrinkles his nose cutely, rubbing the exposed part of his arms to get rid of the goosebumps that had suddenly sprouted. “It’s going to be crowded and I’m not that great with big groups of people…not at the start anyway.”

“You have me,” Xiao Zhan reminds him softly, endeared by the suddenly nervous Wang Yibo. He looks like he needs a hug all of a sudden and he wonders where their daemons have gotten to.

Yibo’s smile at his words is different. Wistful.

“Lan Wangji is supposed to look after Wei Wuxian, not the other way round. What would everyone say?”

Xiao Zhan shrugs. “They can say whatever they want.” He gets up and off Yibo’s bed, pacing between their beds for a few moments, stretching out his cramped muscles as he walks wondering why he said what he did because the reply had been instinctual. He usually cares about what people think of him but for some reason, having Yibo with him makes him less concerned about anyone else’s opinions save for Yibo himself.

Yibo watches the older man run a track in the carpet for a few moments before he replies quite seriously, knowing what people can be like. He lost fans because of his choice to play one of the leads in a BL drama and while at the end of the day, he knows he doesn’t need fans like that, it still hurts a little. 

“Mark your words.”


	2. The Secret Life of Daemons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Method to the madness…also, I found daemons really mix up the dynamic. Imagine having your inner voice external to you and independent no less. This was originally around 8k but after editing it became over12k and I didn’t re-read again so I hope it’s ok. Thank you for the support!

Bailong and Zhulong turn up just as Yibo and Xiao Zhan are getting ready to go out. They are early, it is only a quarter to seven but after taking turns showering quickly and without their daemons to fill in the gaps in their conversation or the darkness of early morning to shield them from view, their natural shyness had set in and the atmosphere is awkward enough for them to decide together that perhaps it is best for them to go out and look for their daemons. 

Yibo’s daemon is back to being a tiny baby lion even smaller than the previous day and currently amusing himself by doing figure eights around Yibo’s ankles while the two men chat about whether to just head straight to the cafeteria, to see if any of their cast mates are up and about and say hi, or to walk around and explore the compound first. Zhulong huffs loudly when he hears the options.

“You forgot to feed me yesterday. If it wasn’t for Yibo, I would have starved. I vote breakfast.”

“How many times do I have to apologise for that?” Xiao Zhan asks exasperatedly, crouching down and scooping up the grouchy rabbit. Zhulong tries to get away, waving his paws madly and complaining loudly about being manhandled against his will but by the time Xiao Zhan has him tucked against his heart, he has calmed down though he still looks really put upon. The fact that Xiao Zhan is stroking him gently rather than the rough noogie from earlier that morning may have gone some way in helping. After awhile, he starts leaning into the touch though if anyone were to ask about it, Zhulong will pretend not to know what they are talking about.

Yibo grins at the sight before he too crouches down carefully to pick up his Bailong who clambers up his chest, and starts licking Yibo’s face very enthusiastically. 

The baby lion makes little pleased squeaky sounds in between each lick and it is clear that the happiness is very much mutual though Xiao Zhan is curious as to where it had originated from. The young man pays him no attention, basking in his daemon’s affection, his eyes closed, his smile wide. In truth, Xiao Zhan is entranced. Yibo is stunning. His face is clean of makeup and completely relaxed thanks to the affection from his daemon. Xiao Zhan knows he is staring and he knows he should look away but for the life of him, he cannot tear his eyes from the younger man, drinking in each aspect of Yibo’s expressive face like a man dying from a thirst that cannot seem to be quenched.

He is especially fondly captured at the way his cheeks puff up like a squirrel storing nuts. The way grooves actually appear on his unlined cheeks created by how wide his smile is. In that wholly unguarded moment, as he enjoys the affection from his daemon, he looks almost painfully young. Xiao Zhan had thought he looked young without makeup but like this, he looks like he should be in school instead of taking on a role playing a 30-something year old man for half of it. They would need to do all kinds of magic to pull that one off. Looking at him right now he can barely believe Yibo is twenty.

A small giggle huffs out, lower than any of Xiao Zhan's own giggles and his gaze is warm and definitely not polite because the right thing to do would be to look away. Sharing this moment with Yibo is much more intimate than acceptable between two co-stars who are practically strangers. A human and their daemon’s interactions are acceptable even in public but it is expected that they are not stared at. He wonders if Yibo has forgotten that he is not alone.

“Cute!”

Bailong stops abruptly and turns to glare at the smug bunny. “Not cute! Take that back!”

“Cute, cute, cute,” Zhulong taunts in a sing-song voice. For a small rabbit his voice carries and it is loud in their room. "Soooooooo cute little baby lion. Bailong is C-U-T-E.” He spells out loudly with satisfaction at the tiny hissing sounds coming from the little lion who is really very teeny. If he were a real cub, maybe a couple of weeks old at the most. 

Bailong growls (squeaks) and lunges for the irrepressible bunny but Yibo had already tightened his hold, sensing his daemon’s intention, eyes bugging out just a little when they meet Xiao Zhan's equally wide eyes. They stare at each other barely drawing breath as their daemons bicker in their arms, Zhulong cackling out more taunts while Bailong protests ineffectually. His annoyed squeaking in between actual words makes him look and sound even cuter. 

Xiao Zhan and Yibo mirror each other, clutching their small daemons close to their chests and swallowing hard. Both of them are thinking the same thing. 

_Bailong would have jumped onto Xiao Zhan just to get to Zhulong. What then?_

Feeling a little like someone is determinedly trying to knock his feet out from right under him, Xiao Zhan finally shakes himself from his reverie and chastises Zhulong half-heartedly. He turns to open the door, breaking the eye contact between himself and a still wide-eyed Yibo who follows closely behind him.

The two daemons bicker all the way to the cafeteria, attracting attention from anyone they pass, all of whom are not recognised by Yibo or Xiao Zhan, not that they had been paying any real attention anyway.

The staff recognise them though as the entire complex has been taken up by the filming crew and someone starts recording some behind-the-scenes footage. Xiao Zhan’s and Wang Yibo’s companies had both approved the candid filming of their actors but the two men had themselves reminded the studio that any footage with their daemons will need to be approved by them. By law, nothing can gainsay a human about their own daemon so the studio and their agencies had no choice but to accept this or likely face being shut down. Going against this simply requirement would not just be a breach of contract but they would be breaking several laws too. It is one of the reasons why there is not much footage of their daemons out in public since any photo or recording would need to be sanctioned. In fact, especially for Yibo, little to nothing is known about his daemon apart from the fact that it is a male lion. It is a very real concern for a studio and some even prefer not to work with actors that had daemons due to the possibility of being unable to use hours and hours of filming. This doesn’t affect Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan too much though simply because their companies have both government and international agency certifications that confirmed them and their daemons as independent. One of the reasons for the forced test Yibo had to undergo at thirteen. It simply means that within reason, they can be asked to make sure their daemons are not in any camera shots to the extent that they may be asked to send them to timeout for short periods. Unfortunately, this does not extend to candid footage.

Yibo and Xiao Zhan continue to exchange silent looks as they walk. The matter would have been resolved easily if Bailong had made himself bigger, but for some reason the cub remains tiny, content to just squeak and hiss at the unrepentant bunny who has himself shrunk to about the size of a Yibo's hand. The amount of sass in the small white bunny makes Yibo want reach out and squeeze it _affectionately_. 

—

"What's with them? They were out together for over half an hour you would think they'd have gotten it out of their system by now," Yibo whispers, watching in fascination as their daemons square off on the same table where they met the previous day, circling as if they are about to do battle. He is not concerned because he doesn’t feel anything even vaguely resembling anger from Bailong. In fact, he is pretty sure his daemon is playing though how he got this comfortable with the other daemon will need a more thorough interrogation. 

"I don't even know what's in their system in the first place. I've never seen him act like this." Xiao Zhan shakes his head, wincing when Bailong tries to pounce on Zhulong who side steps easily, Yibo’s daemon tumbling off the table into a chair. Zhulong had immediately looked over, concern clear for him to see. After ascertaining the cub was unharmed, he had scampered to the opposite end waiting for Bailong to reappear before taunting him again. 

Yibo smiles fondly in the direction of the two tiny daemons. “Bailong normally keeps to himself. He never gets bothered by other daemons probably because of his form but he's chosen his smallest shape for some reason and I’ve never seen him like this in public. I sleep with him when he’s that small. It's weird."

Xiao Zhan turns bodily to the younger man at his words, imagining a teenage Yibo hugging the adorable little cub and both of them snoring quietly. He had fallen asleep before Yibo the previous night so had not witnessed anything but the image he has conjured in his fertile imagination as an artist makes him smile so wide his eyes crinkle and Yibo turns just then, a question in his gaze.

"I was thinking I should give you a plushie."

"Aren't you the one who always gets plushies? Are you giving me one of yours?"

Xiao Zhan arches his eyebrow as they wander over to the buffet table currently being filled by the kitchen staff. "How do you know that?"

Yibo shrugs. "Who doesn't? Xiao Laoshi’s fans think he is cute so they ply him with cute things.”

“And what do you think?” The older man hands him a warm plate and nudges him towards the steaming buffet trays. "Wang Laoshi has better things to do than stalk this old man."

“They’re right.” Yibo shrugs again, knowing he has no chill but he doesn’t really care. “So are you giving me one of your plushies?" Yibo starts dishing himself some food.

Xiao Zhan has been gaping since Yibo’s agreement that he’s cute. He snaps his jaw shut, covering his face from mouth down with his plate before he answers for he can feel the burn creeping up his neck. “I can buy you a new one."

Yibo waves a giant fork, nearly covering them in fried noodles but somehow managing to catch the trailing strands with his plate so effortlessly Xiao Zhan actually has to take a step back in surprise and admiration at his grace. 

"No need. One of yours is fine."

"You really want a plushie from me?”

Yibo stops dishing and turns very slowly to stare at the older man. His eyes are disconcertingly direct, and Xiao Zhan has to fight not to look away. There is a maturity in Yibo’s steady gaze that he seems to have missed the previous day. Or even that morning. 

"You offered.” Even the way he speaks is careful. "Why did you say it if you don't mean it?"

"Do you always mean everything you say?” Xiao Zhan asks, hating how defensive he sounds but it is too late to take it back. He is feeling off balance and he cannot seem to figure out why. He softens his tone trying to offer an explanation. "There's something called teasing."

It falls completely flat even to his ears and Xiao Zhan watches as Yibo's lips thin and his eyes shutter. 

"I mean everything I say."

The young man pivots on his heel and walks off, his plate barely half filled, leaving a very confused and regretful Xiao Zhan in his wake, unable to take his eyes off the slim retreating form. 

\---

Xiao Zhan eyes his table. His arms are getting a little tired from the laden tray but he is loathe to interrupt, unsure what kind of welcome he will get. Yibo is sitting with his head down and a daemon on either side of his plate sitting quietly watching him. When he encounters a piece of anything resembling a vegetable, he feeds Zhulong and when he encounters anything resembling some kind of meat, he feeds Bailong.

What is remarkable is that neither daemon is acting up, both eyeing each other and then him in silence. Zhulong can be finicky when it comes to his food but he takes whatever he is given without complaint. Xiao Zhan’s heart does a weird flip at that especially, because Zhulong does not like snow peas. He usually acts as if Xiao Zhan is trying to poison him by giving him _those horrid crunchy green things_ but he has already eaten two so far without even making a face. 

When he notices people starting to enter the cafeteria and stop to stare at Yibo framed by the two daemons, Xiao Zhan finally moves.

"May I join you?"

“Zhulong is here.”

Xiao Zhan winces at the monotone but he sits regardless, dropping the heavy tray with a loud clatter.

Yibo does not look up. He continues to mechanically feed himself whatever is left of his noodles.

Strand by strand.

"I thought you're supposed to be losing weight for this drama? Something about the costumes being very unforgiving?" Zhulong remarks. "You're going to be pudgier than you were a while ago at this rate. I don't think Wei Wuxian is fat."

"Zhulong."

Xiao Zhan’s mouth drops open in surprise, but it is not at the fact that Yibo has just told off his daemon without saying much else other than his name, but rather his daemon's reaction. Zhulong’s ears droop visibly and he drags himself over to Bailong's side, smooshing his face just behind the small cub's ear, the impact enough to make the little baby lion whine but he does not push off the dejected bunny.

He takes a deep breath. He hadn’t wanted to wait this long but he wasn’t sure how to approach the other man. However his daemon’s behaviour has steeled his resolve.

“Uh...Yibo...about earlier, I'm sorry.” Xiao Zhan rubs the back of his neck nervously. “If you want to know what I was really thinking..." He trails off for a moment as he starts taking the dishes off his tray to lay them between them. He resumes talking as he does this, focusing on his task to allay the weird churning his belly is making. It is so bad he practically feels it in his chest. He must be hungrier than he thought. "I was imagining you cuddling Bailong while you were sleeping and thought it was cute. I know Bailong hates to be called cute and I wasn't sure how you felt about it so I said the closest thing I could think of when you asked."

Yibo finally looks up. His eyes are carefully blank, but Xiao Zhan can see a hint of curiosity that he cannot hide. He smiles when the younger man starts picking some food from the plates he had just laid out. Xiao Zhan watches as Yibo offers a piece from an oily yam cake to Zhulong who had roused from his stupor at being scolded and nearly swoons with happiness. He then offers a piece of cold beef to Bailong who baby roars (squeaks) his thanks, gnawing happily on it. He is looking straight at Xiao Zhan when he leans over and steals _both_ the hot fluffy char siu baos directly off Xiao Zhan's own plate. 

"I didn't ask you anything," Yibo points out. “You offered without me saying anything.” He pops the entire char siu bao into his mouth. Some juice from the inside of the bao trickles from the corner of his mouth about a split second before his eyes widen and he starts flapping his arms and fanning his mouth. 

Xiao Zhan leans over and shoves a napkin under his chin. "Spit it out." Yibo's eyes are wide and starting to water but he shakes his head, continuing to fan his mouth. “Wang Yibo, spit it out now! You're going to burn your tongue." 

"I can heal him if necessary,” Zhulong says quietly, watching the boy flap around. 

There are nearly a dozen people in the cafeteria now witnessing Yibo’s weird chicken dance, his head tilted back and vigorously fanning his mouth. Xiao Zhan is sure most of them have no idea what just occured and he sighs and drops the napkin and just waits. After about a minute although it definitely felt longer to both Yibo and Xiao Zhan, he finally manages to chew and swallow his food before wiping the tears from his eyes while gasping for breath. He downs both glasses of cold juice that Xiao Zhan had taken for them in quick succession before burping loudly and sighing in relief. He is a little sweaty from his exertions and he pays none of the people staring any mind.

Xiao Zhan feels like there might be something wrong with his heart or perhaps his belly. One or both those organs are flopping painfully somewhere in his body. Yibo is looking incredibly boyish, hair ruffled, a very light sheen of sweat at his hairline and forehead, still panting a little and breathing through his mouth as he gazes down at his daemon who is now sitting up and looking at him with unblinking golden eyes. Xiao Zhan finds himself again, helplessly staring at the younger man. A small smile tugs up the corner of his full mouth and Xiao Zhan can practically feel his heart tilting with the lopsided smirk.

"Why are you so silly?" Bailong asks in such an unexpectedly conversational tone that Xiao Zhan lets out a sharp high-pitched giggle in response.

Three pairs of eyes turn to him, and it makes the giggles worse.

And they are contagious. 

Yibo starts giggling soon after, and within a few seconds, their table is making so much noise everyone turns to stare.

"This...this does not b-bo-bode well f-f-for filming."

"Th-this is your f-fault."

It takes a few minutes for all four of them to regain some control of themselves, but the awkwardness from earlier is gone and forgotten.

They exchange shy grins again before their daemons start whining to be hand fed and their attention is diverted. 

\---

"They're getting along at least."

"Do you think we are allowed to take photos with their daemons? That cub is so cute."

"I think the male lion is cooler."

Xuan Lu shakes her head at the trio. “No photos without their permission unless you want to be prosecuted for criminal breach of privacy. If the photos are leaked and tied to you, there’s potential jail time and you will probably never work in the industry again.”

“The daemon lobby is powerful. Their daemons have more rights than them really.” Zhu Zanjin adds in quietly, his eyes on the leads.

Yubin snorts. “Well, makes sense that Yibo is never without his then. You can’t photograph him with his daemon nearby.”

“How do we prove we have permission?” Zheng Fanxing asks, his eyes still on the two daemons being shamelessly spoiled. Wang Yibo is holding a short piece of celery for the bunny and talking to Xiao Zhan who is laughingly trying to coax a very pouty baby lion into taking the piece of beef he had been teasing him with. “They’re so cute I want a photo,” his voice is a little wistful. 

“Play the son card,” Guo Cheng suggests. “I still think the adult lion is cooler. Very handsome.”

"Oh? Alright then, let's see you take a photo next to the adult lion."

"Daemons won't bite right?"

"Who knows? I know they can't be persecuted if they do because they are hardwired to only attack if their human is in danger so you would have deserved the attack."

"That's not completely right. A daemon will attack _if it feels_ its human is in danger or fearful even if there is no danger. That's why you have daemons manifesting even when they were never corporeal when their humans are in distress or in danger. Whether he or she is actually in danger is not the point. As long as the daemon feels they are in danger or the human is fearful enough to trigger its daemon, they will attack, defend, protect or all of the above. So no pranks on Yibo, please because I’m pretty sure his daemon will gut you without a second thought.”

"How do you know so much about daemons? It's not something people read about for fun. I think most people still don't understand them."

"My mother has a corporeal daemon."

"Oh? I thought people with corporeal daemons will have children with corporeal daemons?"

Xuan Lu shakes her head. "Not all. The only guarantee is if both parents have corporeal daemons. My father's daemon isn't corporeal."

"What's your daemon?" Yubin asks unthinkingly and gets told off immediately. 

Wang Yizhou’s voice is gruff. “You cannot just ask someone about their daemon. If they volunteer the information it’s fine, but you do not ask.”

Xuan Lu smiles at the big man and shakes her head. “It’s okay.” She looks wistful for a moment, as if seeing something no one else can see. "A white swan."

"Oh!" Zanjin's eyes brighten. "Mine's black."

"Both of you are ballet dancers aren't you."

They both nod with easy smiles.

"Well, that makes sense then."

"What's yours?"

“What did I just say?” Yizhou rolls his eyes at the cheeky smiling man. But he still answers. "A horse." 

Ji Li half snorts half laughs. "Seriously?"

Yizhou gives his on-screen baby brother a level stare. "Problem?"

The young man smirks and shakes his head. "Nope. Just that everyone's daemons so far definitely matches them which is why I say don't mess with Wang Yibo."

"His daemon is a baby cub!"

"No, his daemon is a lion," Ji Li corrects. "And powerful. A daemon that can change even if it is just between adult and baby forms is still classed as the five percent. Don't forget that. The cub only started appearing recently, over a year after he joined TTXS. However I think there’s more to that cub than we’ve seen. I saw it earlier this morning and he was bigger, more like an adolescent lion and I am pretty sure that has never been seen before.”

"How do you know so much about Yibo?"

“How do you know so much about daemons?”

Ji Li shrugs, stirring his hot porridge to cool it down. “Like Lulu jiejie my mother has a corporeal daemon. And she likes Yibo on TTXS even though he doesn’t say much. She thinks he’s adorable and likes watching the other guys dote on him. She was upset when she found out that he had joined this production.” He holds up his hand at the frowning faces of some members of the cast, especially from the drama siblings. “Not for the reason you think. Yibo risked a lot taking on this role that he doesn’t even need since he’s already well-known. He has been getting quite a steady amount of hate from people who used to be his fans for being part of a BL drama. She was worried for him. Can you believe she told me to look after him?” He laughs. “I told her I’m not playing Wei Wuxian and I’m barely five months older than him!” He huffs out another laugh and shakes his head. “She told me it doesn’t matter and that I’m still older therefore I have to look after him.” 

The table falls silent for a couple of minutes, absorbing that new piece of information about their enigmatic male lead.

“Well, his Wei Wuxian is certainly looking after him.” Yubin jerks his chin towards the table where Xiao Zhan has just returned with a tray of drinks, handing two glasses to Yibo with an easy smile.

“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way round?”

“Well, if they both catch feelings they can’t blame their roles at least.”

“You think it’ll happen?”

“Daemons are not supposed to touch other daemons without permission.” Ji Li tilts his head towards the corner table. “Look at them.”

Everyone tries to look over as inconspicuously as possible and they maybe get about fifteen seconds worth of looks before the baby lion turns in their direction, it’s golden eyes shine with intelligence and alertness that belies its current form, staring intently at each and every one of them until they look away. They all miss the white rabbit raising its head from where it was resting against the cub to look at the large group thoughtfully.

Xuan Lu clarifies. “Daemon to daemon just needs the daemon’s permission. It’s not as big a deal as people make it out to be. Daemons befriend other daemons all the time.” 

“Befriend, but not that close.” Ji Li glances at Xuan Lu who frowns slightly but nods in agreement.

“Daemons within families touch as well. Maybe the daemons are just getting into character. They do end up being family eventually.” Everyone blinks at Haikuan who shrugs, wanting to preempt something he is pretty sure will happen judging from what he has seen of his onscreen sibling’s interactions with his co-star. “My dad has a corporeal daemon and he touches me all the time and vice versa.”

“He?”

“What of it?”

Sensing perhaps some of the louder mouths about to make a comment they may not be able to return from, another voice pipes up. 

"I think if there was a daemon hierarchy, Xiao Zhan's daemon would win."

"Hands down," Haikuan nods, agreeing with Zanjin who gives him a beautiful dimpled smile. “Phoenixes are very rare and they are magical in their own right.”

“Okay, so Xiao Zhan is the one percent and Yibo is at least the five percent. Anyone wanna bet if he’s the one percent too?”

“I’m not betting against that,” Ji Li laughs. “There’s definitely something magical about Wang Yibo. Have you seen him blond? He made a grown ass woman admit on national television that if she were male she would definitely fall in love with him.”

“That…makes no sense.” Wang Zhuocheng frowns. “Why can’t she fall in love with him as a woman?”

“Blond?” 

Some look over again, and while the cub does not turn because he is busy rubbing against Yibo’s hip as both leads are standing up to leave, the rabbit does and its eyes glint red. They look away quickly, feeling a chill running down their backs.

Ji Li smirks and pulls out his phone. “Well, you’re in for a treat.”

Yibo and Xiao Zhan are oblivious to the discussion going on at the other table. They walk out of the cafeteria just as Ji Li finds the right spot in the video he wants to share.

“So perhaps the peony should be the Gusu Lan flower not Lanling Jin…”

—

Their phones beep at the same time just as they start rummaging through their respective bags to dig out their scripts. Yibo ignores his phone and upends his Nike bag on his bed. His copies of the script and all four volumes of the novel and a few other things tumble out. Picking up the scripts, he turns and flaps them at Xiao Zhan’s head. 

“Look at how ridiculous this is?”

“It is fifty episodes,” Xiao Zhan points out without looking up, frowning at his phone. “Check your phone. The directors are going to be late. They want to start at eight.” He looks up. “Do you want to stay here or go down.”

Yibo shrugs and pick the script they are reading that day and tosses the rest back onto his bed. “Might as well head down. The bed is too tempting and I’m too full to be horizontal.” He takes a couple of steps away before stopping, sighing, and then returning to pack up the mess he made. 

“You can leave it. No one will come in.”

“Yeah but it’s supposed to be a long day and I want to be able to just throw myself face down on the bed without being worried about getting a paper cut from these infernal books.”

Xiao Zhan continues fiddling with his phone, replying messages he had missed from earlier and the night before. “You’ve got a nipple piercing. Why would you be worried about a paper cut?”

Zhulong snickers as Yibo’s hand automatically goes to his chest.

“How did you know?”

“Saw it.”

“Huh? When? You were already asleep when I got out of my shower.”

Xiao Zhan looks up from his phone, blinking at the younger man trying to figure out what they were talking about. He has half a brain in each conversation and not really concentrating fully on either. “Why would I have seen it when you got out of the shower?”

Yibo rolls his eyes and pushes past the man to drop his bag on the chair. “Never mind. Let’s go.”

“Are we leaving them here?”

—

Turns out their daemons make the decision for them, protesting immediately at Xiao Zhan’s question and bickering with him until he gives up, especially since Yibo hadn’t commented for either side. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Xiao Zhan scoops up a whining Zhulong while Yibo absentmindedly scritches behind his lion’s ear as he waits for Xiao Zhan in the corridor outside their room. Bailong is back to being a full sized large predator and looking extremely intimidating. Gone is the playful purring cub from early morning or the adorably squeaky infant lion from breakfast. 

Xiao Zhan observes Yibo closely.

"He is anxious."

"I guessed as much.”

"Well, do something about it," Zhulong huffs. "Bailong is ignoring me because Yibo is on edge and he is on high alert.”

Xiao Zhan steps up next to the younger man, shutting the door behind them. "Are you okay?"

Yibo does not know how to prevaricate so he answers truthfully as they start walking. "I...Have you seen the script? Read the whole thing?"

"Yes."

“All that paper is mostly you. How many lines do I have?"

Xiao Zhan tilts his head questioningly. He knows their line share is monstrously disproportionate despite holding the same billing as co-leads but in all honesty, he feels like Yibo has the better end of the deal. He's the one who has to memorise what feels like a million lines. However, this isn't about him but about Yibo.

"Not many,” he admits.

"And I'm one of the leads. How am I supposed to convey every single emotion with _Wei Ying_ over and over and over for 90% of the drama with microscopic facial expressions?” 

His voice holds the barest hint of despair that Xiao Zhan does not like and he is genuinely surprised that the younger man is troubled by this. Yibo is so good at everything he does and Xiao Zhan has no doubt he will good at this too. He stops walking, staring after Yibo who continues for a few more steps before realising Xiao Zhan is no longer by his side. He and Bailong turn as one, and Xiao Zhan for the very first time, feels a prickle of fear at the baleful eyes of the large predator staring quietly at him. Bailong’s golden eyes are even lighter in the morning light and near hypnotic.

Feeling the frisson of fear from his human, Zhulong speaks while eyeing Bailong. "Don't be afraid of him. He won't harm you. He's like that to protect Yibo. He knows you won't hurt him so this look isn't for your benefit."

"What does he think will happen to Yibo? We have to act with these people for the next four months. Does he think someone in there has it out for him?"

Zhulong is silent while Yibo walks back to Xiao Zhan.

"What's wrong?" Yibo asks, brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"You surprised me," Xiao Zhan smiles, willing it to be genuine and he touches the other man's arm lightly to direct him to start walking again. "You are very expressive. I'm sure you can convey whatever emotions you want. We can practice tonight if you want even though I don’t think you need it.”

"I don't want to trouble you," Yibo's voice is practically a whisper, eyes on the ground as they walk towards the conference room that had been booked for the reading.

Xiao Zhan stops again and this time he looks around, finding the corridor clear, he pulls Yibo into a doorway, out of sight from the corridor. Zhulong leaps from the cradle of his arm to land lightly on Bailong and the bunny sits comfortably on the beautiful lion as he paces up and down the corridor, sentinels to give their humans some space.

"Hey, kid."

Yibo looks up immediately, eyes flashing with ire and Xiao Zhan hears a low growl from somewhere behind him.

"I. Am. Not. A. Kid."

"Okay, sweetheart," Xiao Zhan smiles fondly, the endearment escaping before he thinks it through. The ire in those beautiful eyes disappears instantly, replaced with a heartbreaking confusion that softens his features and Xiao Zhan suddenly feels like the worst cad, only belatedly realising his slip. He takes a breath, seeing the emotion in Yibo’s eyes and it truly is stunning how clear it is despite his placid expression. Marvelling at the intensity of the change, he finds an out in his original intention before his unplanned slip. "You see? You went from angry to confused and I can see it very clearly in your eyes. That's two emotions in a few seconds and I barely did anything. You are not troubling me."

The second he finishes speaking, he knows he made a mistake. Though which of his actions was the mistake he hasn’t quite figured out yet. Whatever it is, he has definitely screwed up. _Stupid, Xiao Zhan. Why did you do that? Stupid stupid stupid. How are you supposed to fix this? He probably thinks you’re just toying with him when really, it was an accident. Admitting it was an accident might invite questions or worse…make the situation even more awkward._

Xiao Zhan stares helplessly into unblinking eyes, not knowing how to salvage the situation. It is quite a joke to him when he recalls people commenting on his ability to speak well when he is standing here in front of Wang Yibo, utterly lost for words. Even his brain seems to have left him.

Yibo stares up at the taller man for a full minute, neither of them moving. His eyes shutter and his expression becomes unreadable, exactly like what the default face of Lan Wangji is meant to be, before he looks away and walks off without a word.

"What the hell did you do now?" Zhulong hisses, flapping his wings slowly, hovering in midair alongside his human as the lion catches up with its own human who is walking very briskly away. "Bailong practically threw me off him and now I’m this or you’d have a limping rabbit. Why is it you can get along with everyone and yet you can't seem to figure out the most important one? What is wrong with you?” 

Xiao Zhan presses his hands to his temples and closes his eyes. Suddenly the bright sunlight streaming in through the window is just a little too bright and his head is starting to pound. "If all you’re going to do is nag then just go.”

“You are impossible.” The beautiful phoenix brushes its wing lightly across the back of its human’s head before transforming back into the white bunny just before it hits the ground. He waits.

“Thank you.” Xiao Zhan says after a few moments, dropping his hands from his head that no longer hurts. 

“I didn’t heal you for your sake. We need to talk.”

The man’s mouth flattens out and he leans against a wall. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Then I’ll talk and you listen. Wang Yibo is special.”

“Oh wow, what clued you to it? His daemon? You know he’s a dragon too right?” His high pitched giggle this time is strained and very fake. 

“I know you’re not as stupid as you’re sounding right now, Xiao Zhan.”

He is confused, torn and feeling majorly off balance by how _quickly_ he seems to have developed _something_ for his co-star. The more time he spends around Wang Yibo the more he remembers how fascinated he had been by the youngest host of TTXS. Six years younger and already an accomplished dancer, actor, internationally recognised artist and a host on a regular television program, Wang Yibo had achieved so much while he was only just starting out. His band member didn’t have a prayer of winning that dance battle and Xiao Zhan had known this even before Yibo had started to dance. That recording had been overwhelming for Xiao Zhan but Wang Yibo had been composed and calm with a quiet steadiness that Xiao Zhan envied. Even when discomfited, he pushes through, willing to at the very least, give it his best.

Wang Yibo had earned every single accolade. Nothing had been given to him without a fight. Not even his near mystical ability to move his body in whatever way he wants that Xiao Zhan can’t even dream of. He practically heard his own bones creaking in sympathy. And despite his personal battles to get where he is, Wang Yibo is still pure, true to himself and untainted by the industry. 

And so very beautiful.

“He’s so young…”

“ _That’s_ the problem?” Zhulong interrupts and his voice resonates his disbelief. The bunny keels over dramatically, laying on its back and staring up at the dirty ceiling. “Do you have any idea how powerful his interest had to be for his daemon to be able to track me down? You probably don’t remember but you told me to stay out of sight that day. I was hiding when he found me, Xiao Zhan. _I was in timeout when he found me._ ”

“Don’t all daemons go to timeout?”

Zhulong breathes out slowly, willing himself not to change into a dragon just so he can roast his damn human until his brain started operating again. Is the man a simpleton? How can he be this oblivious? Zhulong is damn sure he has spoken to Xiao Zhan about this at least once. Maybe it had occured while he was at university but that wasn’t that long ago. Bailong had been surprised when Zhulong explained to him what had happened, being so young himself and relatively unaware of how daemons worked. Extremely powerful in his own right, Bailong’s primary focus had always been to protect Yibo, not bothering to seek out more of his kind for their bond is the rarest where they do not need anyone or anything else. It is much stronger than even Xiao Zhan’s and Zhulong’s bond which until that fateful day in 2017, was the strongest he had encountered himself. Most daemons had stayed away from Bailong not because of his form. They would have stayed away had he been the infant cub from breakfast. Untutored and completely innocent, Bailong had operated on instinct alone that day, following the smell that had made him feel unbearably fond towards. 

Bailong had tracked and found Zhulong in his timeout location, blessedly unaware that he had entered that dimensional space private to each daemon that disconnects it from its human. It is called timeout because the human can send its daemon there for a set amount of time or indefinitely until called back. Only daemons that had a bond at least as strong the one between Xiao Zhan and Zhulong enter their timeout space willingly, trusting their human to call them back. Non-corporeal daemons reside permanently in their timeout spaces.

Zhulong had almost expired from shock when Bailong turned up, the majestic king of the jungle shrinking into a cub immediately, feeling the rabbit’s fear and not wanting this nice smell he feels so fondly towards to be afraid of him. He had trusted Zhulong implicitly and Zhulong had been surprised to realise that it worked vice versa as well. Since he had been unaware he shouldn’t have been able to do what he did, Bailong had been fine to _pull Zhulong out of his timeout back into normal time and space_.

Essentially, Bailong had been able to call or bring Zhulong out of timeout the same way Xiao Zhan can. Zhulong knows this for a fact for he had tested it several times that day, playing hide and seek with Bailong but always hiding in timeout. The cub had thought him silly and he hadn’t explained.

He knows Xiao Zhan’s parents’ daemons are able to do it which is the only reason he knows that it can be done and why. However, he has never ever heard of it occurring between two daemons who have never met. He had broached the subject with Xiao Zhan’s parents’ daemons. Both cats and both male, they had believed such a thing impossible which tells Zhulong enough for as far as daemons went, they had been the most social and more knowledgeable than all other daemons he had encountered.

Bailong, near painfully innocent, had literally done the impossible without even knowing he had done it.

Catching up with his friend both the day before and that morning, the true reason for it had emerged.

Feelings cannot be forced of course, but Zhulong knows Xiao Zhan probably better than the human knows himself, and this human is being dense on purpose because Zhulong would not have been able to connect with Bailong if there was nothing on his side. Maybe it’s denial. Maybe it’s this stupid age thing that actually makes no sense to him. Knowing Xiao Zhan, it is probably all of the above. 

“Are you being stupid on purpose?” Zhulong flips back onto his feet, glaring up at his human who is also glaring back at him. 

Xiao Zhan bristles. He is already feeling stupid, he doesn’t need to hear it from his daemon too. “I have half a mind to send you to time out."

"Yes, do. I don't really want to watch this self-inflicted train wreck. He is literally there for the taking and you're screwing it up royally."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Hearing and understanding are two different things. We've talked about this."

"You're an idiot."

"What does that make you then?"

"The idiot's minder apparently."

Xiao Zhan finally gets annoyed enough to do exactly as he had threatened and the white rabbit disappears but not before it makes a face at its human.

In all honesty, his daemon is just verbalising what he feels. He is an idiot. He had not read two emotions, he read three.

Hope.

And it both comforts and terrifies him.

\---

"Bailong wants to know where Zhulong is," Yibo murmurs behind his script. With the delay in the start time, they are early. At the moment, only the actors from the Yi City arc are there and sitting at their designated seats which happens to be quite far from them. They had introduced themselves of course and while Xiao Zhan lingered briefly to make small talk, Yibo had returned to his seat.

"Timeout."

"Why?" Yibo drops his script and turns bodily to the man next to him. "Did he do something wrong?"

Xiao Zhan sighs and turns to the younger man. "I just needed some space and he wouldn't stop talking."

"Oh. Okay." Yibo faces forward and picks up his script again but he is frowning. He would never send Bailong to timeout just because he felt chatty. But then, all daemons are different and Zhulong can be a bit of a handful. A chatty Bailong is probably a mostly silent Zhulong.

The tension is palpable, made worse by the low muted growl from Bailong that had started when Xiao Zhan had mentioned where Zhulong was and it continues to the point where the other four actors had stopped talking amongst themselves to look over at their two leads.

"That's definitely not a purr," Xiao Zhan finally comments ruefully, leaning back to look behind Yibo where Bailong has settled. Those piercing honeyed eyes are clearly annoyed. He sticks out his hand in the direction of the large predator. "Here. Have at me then." 

He is only half joking.

By now the other actors are slowly filing into the room having lingered over breakfast together. There is still more than ten minutes left to the new start time but they are all there and witness to what looks like Xiao Zhan offering his arm to be bitten off.

Bailong tilts its head, before glancing up at Yibo who is watching. The man shrugs before turning away. "Do whatever you want."

The lion ignores the hand, saying one word clearly for the room to hear. "Chidi."

Xiao Zhan sighs and his rabbit pops in out of nowhere, squarely in the middle of their table. There are several gasps around the room, unaccustomed to corporeal daemons and what they are able to do, to them the rabbit had just appeared literally out of midair. 

To everyone's surprise including Xiao Zhan's, Zhulong turns to him and bows mockingly. 

The daemon is certain that Xiao Zhan thinks he had been the one to call him because he would be going ape shit now otherwise. He had heard Xiao Zhan of course but he had heard Bailong a second earlier and had responded to that call.

"May I?" he asks loud enough for the entire room to hear. Not that it takes much anyway for everyone had been mostly silent, watching the two leads and their daemons.

Xiao Zhan is conscious of the fact that they are in full view of everyone but the image of the wealth of hope in Yibo's eyes at the endearment he had used weighs heavy in his mind and despite his brain telling him that this is a seriously bad idea, he feels like he owes the man at least this gesture. His heart knows it is the right thing to do even if he is trying to rationalise the intention behind it. And Zhulong, despite being a sassy demonic rabbit daemon, has always been able to see through his own denials. 

"You may."

There is a collective hush when the rabbit crouches _and becomes smaller_ in front of everyone before lopping cutely to sit in front of Yibo who stares down at the beautiful creature twitching its adorable pink nose at him and making his lips turn up in a tiny smile. Before he can remark on Zhulong’s behaviour, the bunny leaps straight into his lap, shocking him into a strangled yelp, dropping the script he was holding and shooting his arms straight up into the air to avoid touching the adorable as hell rabbit that he _really really really_ wants to stroke but too many eyes and he can barely draw a breath.

What is Xiao Zhan doing?

The room is dead silent, Yibo's eyes are wide hardly daring to breathe let alone move. The white bunny circles his lap a couple of times, before curling up in it and closing its eyes.

Yibo looks up at Xiao Zhan who has an inscrutable look on his face as he stares down at his daemon.

"What...what's happening?" 

Xiao Zhan sighs but does not look away. "He's apologising. On my behalf."

"Do I have to accept the apology?" Yibo sounds like he has a frog in his throat. In all honesty, he is quite frozen and unable to move. To breathe even. He is suddenly incredibly aware of all the extra bodies in the room and how this must look.

"No, but he will likely stay there until you do."

"Uh...ok apology accepted.” He turns to look at his lap. “Accepted.” He repeats a little louder. “Zhu-- Chidi. Chidi wake up! Apology accepted.” 

The rabbit doesn't budge.

There is a ripple of commotion amongst those watching and a few seconds later, Bailong appears by Yibo’s shoulder. “You can’t fool a daemon,” his voice is quiet and meant only for Yibo’s ears. He picks up Chidi in his mouth to several loud gasps around the room. Only Yibo and Xiao Zhan are relieved, knowing the daemon will not hurt the other. Xiao Zhan can still remember the soft _gege_ from the cub earlier that morning and it gives him a sudden flash of goosebumps. 

Xiao Zhan flat out _rejects_ pursuing the thought of Yibo calling him gege in that same sleepy sweet tone. He refuses to acknowledge the implications of the direction of his thoughts and does his best to stop entertaining them. 

He fails pretty spectacularly if Zhulong’s smirk is anything to go by. He doesn’t see it though, still wrestling with his overactive imagination giving him a Wang Yibo from this morning, fair and untouchable in the early morning light with his name on his lips.

_Gege._

Xiao Zhan is beet red but no one is paying him any attention.

The majestic lion settles down behind Yibo's chair and and drops the rabbit gently to the ground, growling softly when the rabbit hops up and pets its nose before nuzzling into his side when he lays down against his mane. The gold and white blend nicely together. Bailong purrs at the contact while Zhulong is smirking so hard he has to hide his face in his companion’s mane because if Yibo is anything like Xiao Zhan, he would be able to read him like a book and wonder what’s going on. 

“That is _definitely_ touching,” Ji Li whispers loudly to his on-screen brother. The larger man grunts his reply and continues to move to their seats. With him moving, all the other actors start moving again, quietly taking their seats. Yibo and Xiao Zhan pretend they don’t see their fellow actors craning their necks trying to get a glimpse of the two daemons behind them. Heads down, they both stare at their scripts.

Ji Li and Wang Zhuocheng along with Xuan Lu and Liu Haikuan have arguably the best spots as they are sitting on either side of Yibo and Xiao Zhan respectively but all four have their eyes resolutely forward and on their scripts. All four are feeling extremely uncomfortable at their proximity to the growling king of the jungle. 

Only Yibo knows Bailong isn’t angry. This is his equivalent of a purr in adult form. He has no idea what makes Zhulong the sole exception, but his Bailong always seems pleased to have the other daemon’s attention or company despite their occasional bickering.

“Can we…uh,” one of the younger cast members suddenly speaks, his voice overly loud in the mostly silent room.

Xiao Zhan looks up and narrows his eyes trying to remember who the kid is. He casts his eyes down to the name card and is surprised. “Sizhui?”

Yibo looks up too and takes in the blushing boy who is supposed to play their son. “ _Lan_ Sizhui?” He emphasises his surname. 

The other actors exchange glances but stay quiet. 

Xiao Zhan finds his first real smile at the cute kid looking quite mortified at finding everyone’s attention on him. “Yes…Fanxing, right? Did you want something?” He asks kindly, not noticing the look Yibo shoots to the back of his head.

“Uh,” he turns to look at the boys sitting on either side of him, both of them nudging him to go ahead and speak. “Is it okay if uh…” he gets nudged harder by one of the boys and Xiao Zhan looks at his name. 

_Lan Jingyi._

He grins. “Ah the Lans. What mischief are the two of you up to?”

Yibo stares expressionlessly at both boys, his brow very slightly pinched and looking so very Lan Wangji that those of the cast who had doubts about him are starting to rest a little easier. 

“Speak.” 

Xiao Zhan’s head whips around so quickly several of the cast break into amused grins at his gawping face. They would be in the same state had he not expressed his surprise so thoroughly and distracted them. 

Yibo ignores him, waiting expectantly, his gaze trading between the two “Lans”.

“Couldwegetapictureofyourdaemons?” 

The pinched look smooths out and there is the faintest hint of a smile on Yibo’s face but it is very brief before his face becomes completely expressionless, his eyes boring holes into the two actors who are now shifting in their seats restlessly.

“You may, but stay where you are and toss me your phone.”

“Huh? You understood that mumbo jumbo? All I made out was daemon.”

Yibo turns to Xiao Zhan and suddenly smiles brightly showing teeth, such a contrast to earlier that the other actors are quite taken aback. 

Only Xiao Zhan can see it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, though his fingers twitch to touch those adorable puffy cheeks. So soft…so sweet…so biteable.

Xiao Zhan coughs and looks away.

“Lao Xiao is old. His hearing is not very good. Please excuse him.” 

He stands after dropping that bomb and gestures for Fanxing to toss him his phone which he catches easily despite the very bad throw from Fanxing, accidentally hurling the phone straight for Xiao Zhan’s head in his excitement. Several gasps echo around the room at his quick reflex and Xiao Zhan’s jaw is just hanging, first from that dig and then at the fact that Yibo’s large hand was an inch from his nose.

Yibo calls himself from Fanxing’s phone, taking out his buzzing phone.

“Sizhui, catch.”

That is all the warning Fanxing gets when his phone arcs high right back at him. Several strangled shrieks accompany it and he is pretty sure he was one of them. He is blinking rapidly at the smirking man who is supposed to play his father as he cradles his phone protectively to his chest trying to process what just happened.

“Wang Yibo!”

“Mn?” Yibo turns to the shocked man next to him. “I have to take the photo otherwise he might get into trouble,” Yibo explains before turning around, still smirking. So he might have been looking for a tiny bit of payback. The kid had thrown his phone at Xiao Zhan’s head! He doesn’t need to know that Yibo would have paid for a new phone had he not caught it. Was he going to pay for a new head for Xiao Zhan? Unlikely. He feels justified then. Surprising Xiao Zhan had been a bonus. He rather likes the man yelling his name…

Xiao Zhan knows exactly how ‘his son’ feels. The poor boy is still blinking in shock in Yibo’s direction. He puts a hand over his chest and catches the boy’s eye, smiling at him in commiseration. He gets a shy smile back and feels a little better.

He should have known better than to think Yibo was done with him. A familiar laugh nearly makes Xiao Zhan groan out loud, completely unprepared for it. The sound makes pure unadulterated _want_ curl low in his belly and he is suddenly inexplicably annoyed that they are in public. This is not Yibo’s gremlin laugh but rather the low intimate chuckle that makes the hair on the back of his neck, among other parts of his body, stand on end _and it is not meant for public consumption_. 

The entire cast, male and female alike are subjected to a very uncharacteristic glare from Xiao Zhan as he surveys the tables. The man is unaware of his knee jerk reaction but Zhulong had felt that flare of acute annoyance and had to turn over in his new position to hide his face because he is certain Yibo would have recognised a smirk.

Xiao Zhan leans back to see what Yibo is laughing about.

“Oh.” 

Bailong is resting on his side, and Zhulong is sprawled out on his flank, face down. The bunny’s body moves with each inhalation from the lion, and since he is facing away, Xiao Zhan isn’t sure if he is actually asleep or just faking it. He would bet money on the latter.

“You can’t take a photo of that,” Zhuocheng blurts out and the daemons’ humans turn to look at him.

“Why not?” Yibo asks though he knows full well why not. He doesn’t care either way but he is curious to see if Xiao Zhan does.

“Yeah,” Xiao Zhan looks around Yibo at the actor playing his younger brother. “Why not?”

No one is looking at Yibo in that moment except for Ji Li who happens to be looking up and caught the initial surprise on the younger man’s face before the Lan Wangji mask comes back on.

He doesn’t have a reply to that. He doesn’t have a corporeal daemon but the conversations at dinner and this morning had basically been around the daemons of their two leads and apparently, touching daemons is considered _intimate_ or at least exceedingly close. Too close for two co-stars anyway. There is no way in hell he is saying anything though especially since both Yibo and Xiao Zhan are looking at him like they cannot believe he just asked what he did. He idly thinks that they look remarkably like a couple with their matching expressions. The carefully blank look on Xiao Zhan’s face is more disconcerting than Wang Yibo’s though.

Xiao Zhan looks at his _brother_ for a few more beats before turning to the silent cast. “I know we are the only ones with corporeal daemons and some of you are probably a little uncomfortable about that but it is what it is. If you have an issue with them, talk to us about it. A simple rule of thumb would be to remember they will always protect us even when they don’t seem to be physically with us and with all the stunts we will be undertaking, I am sure one or both are going to turn into their dragon forms at some point.” He pauses when whispers start up around the room and he hears at least a couple of _I knew it_ , wondering briefly what that is about. Out of the corner of his eye he sees the actor who plays Yibo’s brother raise a hand and he turns to him.

“How many forms does your daemon have? This is the first time I’ve heard of daemons turning into dragons since most are usually some type of animal. Most people whose daemons can change keep within the same family but yours is a rabbit, a phoenix and also a dragon? Yibo’s is—”

“Wait,” Yubin interrupts, waving a hand apologetically at Haikuan. “Sorry to interrupt.” He continues when Haikuan waves at him to go ahead. “Both of your daemons have dragon forms? Both of you?”

“Mn.”

“Yes.” Xiao Zhan nods, smiling at that hum. Yibo literally has nothing to worry about despite his lack of lines. 

Yibo snaps a few quick shots of their daemons, returning to face the room as he sends them to Fanxing. He steps into the space between their seats and his knee presses against Xiao Zhan’s leg. He does not move away.

Xiao Zhan pushes lightly back, just an acknowledgement and not to ask the man to give him some space and he hopes Yibo understands. He is heartened when Yibo nudges him back again.

“White dragon for me.” He glances down at Xiao Zhan who looks up, a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth. “Red dragon for him.” He was guessing based on the phoenix and the name Zhulong and he feels a familiar tingle when Xiao Zhan nods and the tiny smile becomes a little wider.

“Wow they really did cast you two because of your daemons huh? Lulu jiejie was right.” 

Yibo turns to Ji Li with a frown. “They did not. I was rejected twice. I had to fly over for the day to audition in person.”

Several actors exchange looks, mostly the older more seasoned members. They all have the same question in their minds. Why would someone like Wang Yibo do something like that? He does not need this drama.

Ji Li’s mouth drops open. “But…but you’re the perfect Lan Wangji.” 

There are various murmurs of agreement, especially from the junior Lans who had the (mis)fortune of his attention earlier. 

Yibo feels a tug on his jeans and he turns to look down at Xiao Zhan who is grinning up at him so widely his eyes nearly disappear. 

“See? I told you.” 

The man is beaming so hard Yibo wants to touch his crinkling eyes. The happiness in his face cannot be faked and Yibo feels a lot lighter than he had earlier. He knows he is not great at reading people but he has watched Xiao Zhan for a long time.

Yibo is about to reply when _his_ daemon leaps up into Xiao Zhan’s lap as a stepping stool to the table with Zhulong held in the cub’s mouth. Dropping the bunny unceremoniously, squarely in the middle of Xiao Zhan’s script, the cute little cub turns its face up towards a gaping Yibo before turning to an equally poleaxed Xiao Zhan and whines to be carried.

Various muted squeals and general cooing echo around the room from both male and female actors at the adorable cub with one exception.

This time it is Xiao Zhan who has his arms up in the air, his entire bottom lip sucked into his mouth where he is chewing on it to keep from screaming. Okay he knows how Yibo felt earlier but at least he gave the other man some notice. What the heck is this?

“Yibo said I could do whatever I wanted,” Bailong reminds him as if reading his thoughts. If baby lions could pout, this is probably what it would look like. He sits and leans back against Xiao Zhan who curls his body away so suddenly the cub topples backwards against him. Turning, the cub actually swipes at Xiao Zhan’s chest and lets out a grumbly baby lion roar that stuns the room into silence. “Be nicer!” He scolds sharply.

Yibo tries to contain the hysterical bubble of laughter but the whole morning has been a little too much and he takes one look at Xiao Zhan’s stunned face and he throws his head back and laughs.

And laughs.

And laughs.

The two daemons exchange puzzled looks before shrugging. Bailong leaps lightly onto the table and settles in front of Xiao Zhan’s script, his tail swishing back and forth while he grooms himself. Zhulong settles in front of Yibo’s closed script and does the same, neither daemon paying attention to anyone. 

Yibo collapses into his chair, wiping tears from his eyes before leaning over and gripping Xiao Zhan’s shoulder firmly in his hand.

“If we get divorced, I’m keeping them.”

“Yay! We get to stay with A-Die!” Zhulong crows loudly only to get swiped by a small paw. 

“You can sleep on the floor,” Bailong sniffs. 

The bunny smirks and leans closer, nose twitching mischievously. “Or I can sleep on you.”

Xiao Zhan buries his burning face in his hands as his bunny yelps and the two are off, streaks of white and brown again but this time the cub is doing the chasing. The very late directors enter just then, opening the door enough for the two daemons to escape.

“Sorry we’re late. Did you guys start without us? What did we miss?”

The room is silent as if taking a deep breath before Xuan Lu’s giggles break the inhalation and everyone starts laughing. 

—

By the time they break for a late lunch, the actors had all built a reasonable camaraderie and everyone had run through enough of their lines to feel comfortable in their casting and that the directors had been right. The two daemons had returned after about half an hour, both sitting in front of the wrong human and remaining mostly silent, observing their surroundings closely for the rest of the time as everyone ran through their lines. 

However it was difficult for the cast and even the directors to pay attention during Xiao Zhan’s crying scene with Lulu because both daemons were acting strangely. The cub had pretty much licked the bunny the entire time as if trying to comfort it and the second the scene was over, the white rabbit had shot into Xiao Zhan’s lap and a wall of filmy red had materialised out of nowhere.

Lulu, Haikuan and Ji Li, the only ones with experience with corporeal daemons had immediately looked away and suggested that perhaps they break for lunch. Unsure about what was happening but noticing the late hour, the directors had acquiesced. 

Everyone notices that the impenetrable red border had included both Yibo and his daemon, but no one comments on it until they leave the room.

Yibo can feel the anxiety from Bailong and he buries his nose in his cub’s fur.

“What’s wrong?”

“Gege is sad.”

“Zhan-ge?”

“Not your gege, my gege.”

“You can feel him?”

“Always.”

Yibo doesn’t reply, rubbing his cheek along the soft fur, he watches Xiao Zhan who is silent. Zhulong is out of sight under his teeshirt against his heart, needing the direct contact. He is unsure what always means but he is very hesitant to ask. It sounds like a loaded word. Something he does not want to deal with at the moment.

He doesn’t know if it will be welcome, but he can’t do nothing. Rolling himself closer, Yibo reaches out and puts a hand on Xiao Zhan’s forearm and squeezes lightly.

“You ok?”

Xiao Zhan nods but he doesn’t look up, still staring unseeingly at the table in front of him. “I will be. Zhulong is still upset.”

The cub makes a whining sound and leaps lightly onto Yibo’s arm and walks down towards the hand that is still holding onto Xiao Zhan at the end. Pausing, he tilts his face up towards Xiao Zhan and whines again. 

Yibo chews thoughtfully on his bottom lip before he speaks because Xiao Zhan is pointedly avoiding looking at the whining cub and the cub is starting to lean forward towards the small lump under his teeshirt. 

“You took it as blanket permission didn’t you?”

Bailong looks over back at his human, eyes as intent as Yibo’s when focused on something. “Wasn’t that what it was?”

He hesitates for a few seconds. He had said _do whatever you want_ because he didn’t want to deal with interacting with Xiao Zhan at the time. Had he meant for it to be a blanket go ahead? He opens his mouth then closes it, hesitating again. He finally looks up and finds Xiao Zhan looking at him. Bailong has returned his attention to the lump and he has only three paws on the back of Yibo’s hand. The fourth is resting against Xiao Zhan’s sleeve and he is still leaning forward. Xiao Zhan is not cringing away.

“What did you mean?” Xiao Zhan asks quietly. His eyes are red rimmed but he is fine. He had drawn his emotions from somewhere surprising and unintended, the feeling so fresh that Zhulong had tumbled straight into it. His daemon should not have been affected to this extent and Xiao Zhan is still considering the implications of it. He knows it is not his comfort his daemon needs because he is fine now, able to separate fiction from reality but the phantom pain lingers and for some reason, his daemon is feeling it acutely and inconsolable.

Yibo shakes his head, looking away and back at his daemon. “It wasn’t blanket but…” he watches as Bailong ignores him, taking another step forward. He now has two paws on Xiao Zhan and two on Yibo. He looks up at Xiao Zhan again. Really looks at him. They stare at each other for a full minute before one of them moves. Licking his lips, Yibo shifts his gaze back to his daemon. “Okay…okay,” his voice is hardly more than a whisper. “Okay. Bailong, okay.”

Three seconds because Yibo counted. Three seconds is all it takes for Bailong to burrow under Xiao Zhan’s tee shirt and disappear from sight.

His daemon’s relief is so palpable he feels like he just got sucker punched with it but his attention is diverted by the myriad of expressions crossing Xiao Zhan’s face in quick succession. 

Concern.

Surprise.

Curiosity.

Then a dawning realisation when both their necks start tingling, the sensation similar to that morning. 

“Did you know?” Xiao Zhan finally asks, his voice hoarse. The tingling is intense but he does not feel a need to rub at it. Even if he did, he would not have moved. The cub has claws and he has definitely felt them pressed against the tender flesh of his abdomen. He is pretty sure he has a few scratches from Bailong’s eagerness to get to Zhulong but apart from the initial sting, he can barely feel them anymore. He had not felt any of the anxiety from earlier either when Bailong had jumped into his lap. If anything, he welcomes the contact for Zhulong’s happiness at having Bailong with him had swarmed him like a wave. 

“Know what?” Yibo ignores the tingling at his neck. It isn’t as intense as it was that morning when it woke him up and the tingling is now reassuring to him. Yibo is looking at the shifting lumps under Xiao Zhan’s tee shirt. He wants to touch. He wants to comfort his daemon and he wants to comfort Xiao Zhan’s. He really just wants to touch. And he knows it will not be unwelcome but he can wait. He has waited for a long time. 

His hands flex on his thigh, right hand curving as if he has a small bunny under his palm and sheltering it from the world. 

Xiao Zhan chews on his bottom lip, wondering how to bring it up. He is certain he has more experience with daemons or people with daemons compared to Yibo. He can see the younger man’s attention is on their daemons and he has yet to itch his neck which can only mean it doesn’t bother him. Xiao Zhan is not sure what to make of that when Yibo had admitted that the tingling caused by his mother’s daemon and Bailong had left him unable to sleep. 

He clears his throat loudly and Yibo looks back up at him questioningly. “They see each other as family.”

Yibo’s eyebrow flicks up but he does not appear surprised. “Makes sense.”

“It does?” 

The younger man smiles a siren smile that drives all the breath from Xiao Zhan’s chest in an aching exhale of awareness. 

“Doesn’t it?”

That sweet tone Xiao Zhan had been imagining just materialised and he is unprepared. Unprepared and sinking fast.

No matter how independent a daemon is, it cannot form a connection against the will of its human and Zhulong is very attached to Bailong. It is far easier to hide when the world is balanced and normal, both Zhulong and Bailong naturally showing their affection through their bickering to the point where neither human had been fully aware of its intensity.

It would have been fine to just leave it as it was but no, Xiao Zhan had to push to prove himself worthy of the role. He found the one thing that would make the tears come easily and had forgotten that his Zhulong would feel it too. Felt it acutely in fact, so much so that he has just exposed both of them in his misery and need for Bailong to comfort him. 

Xiao Zhan is stupid. There is really no other way to describe it. He tilts his head back and stares up at the ceiling.

A soft gaze follows the line of Xiao Zhan’s neck, watches the bob of his Adam’s apple as the older man swallows hard and a deeply felt word spills from his parched lips.

“Fuck.”

“When?”

Xiao Zhan’s chin drops so fast his neck cracks. “Wang Yibo!” His eyes are absolutely wild, his throat working to swallow air. “What is wrong with you? Are you human? Don’t say things like that!”

The twenty-year old snickers. He is only teasing but Xiao Zhan’s reaction is very interesting. If he had said the same thing to one of his group member’s they would have just laughed and called him an idiot.

“Guess you’re not that stupid after all,” Zhulong murmurs.

Xiao Zhan doesn’t deign to reply to his daemon. If Yibo’s shit-eating grin is anything to go by, he is going to have a very difficult time on set.

He is doomed.


	3. Long Distance Longing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is basically totally made up. I don’t really know where to look for the training part because I’ve only seen like one two-min video or sth on Youtube so suspend your disbelief please :D Also god the formatting nearly killed me I’m really bad at this. Can I pay someone to do it for me lol.

_** 2015 ** _

Yibo hadn't intended to watch. He was actually showering when the show had started having left the television on. He doesn't even give it a passing glance when he exits into the living room, wearing nothing but a towel slung low over his bony hip. He rubs a hand over his abs as if reassuring himself they are still there, mouth quirking when he hears the quiet laughter of his daemon. He cannot see Bailong but he is definitely close, probably under the cushions on the couch. 

The intro notes to the song currently playing is too slow for his liking and he dries his hair with a smaller towel as he heads to the kitchen to get something to drink. He has the dorm to himself, his bandmates out for dinner. He would have joined them but he is feeling a little drained and wanted to spend some time with his daemon and recharge so to speak. He has his back to the television, gulping down the cool water when the singer starts to sing. 

His hand jerks and cold fridge temperature water cascades down his chest. He is sopping wet and blinking confusedly at the stove. His nipples are pebbled and so hard that he can actually feel the ache without touching them. The loud sound of a game buzzer cuts through the sudden fog in his mind and he turns around.

Bailong feels the surge of _something_ from his human but he cannot identify the feeling or emotion. He pokes his head out from behind two cushions and watches Yibo walking stiffly towards the television, his eyes intent on the screen and mouth-breathing. The cub turns to the television curiously and sees that the beautiful voice belongs to a very handsome man. His face is rounder than most other singers Bailong has seen but there is a warm sincerity in his eyes that makes you feel the song he is singing. The purity of his voice is quite compelling and Bailong senses that the man is different. 

One thing the daemon is certain of, he has a corporeal daemon.

\---

Yibo nearly punches the screen when Shu Qi speaks, so disgusted with her he has to walk it off, pacing the room and muttering angrily under his breath. The man is perfect. Did the plastic surgery addle her brains? Even as he thinks it, he scrunches his nose. He is not that kind of person. He is not cruel. He mentally apologises to her before railing again at her and the stupidity she has displayed but not making any further personal attacks.

\---

Bailong curls up next to him, whining to be hugged as the teenager lays in the darkness and stares up at the ceiling while his cub burrows into his side. He pets it absentmindedly. 

"He says his strength is that he never gives up. Isn't that us too?"

The cub hums in agreement and whines some more. Yibo on his back makes for very little burrowing space. The boy is so lean that the cub really has not much to work with. Pawing at his belly, he hears the teenager huff and turn over. Bailong immediately snuggles into the curve of his body and gives his human the recharge he had needed at the start of the evening, only to realise, to his surprise, that Yibo is fine.

Curious and a little perplexed, the little cub pads its way up onto the pillow and heads straight for his throat, resting against the steady beat of his pulse.

"You're okay now?"

"Mn. I feel okay."

"But you weren't feeling good earlier and I didn't do anything."

Yibo rubs his cub's flank, his large hand nearly encompassing the cub's entire body. "I'm fine. I'm good."

The cub is quiet, replaying the evening before it scrunches up its nose and huffs against Yibo's throat, making his human smile sleepily, his eyes already drifting closed.

"It was that man, wasn't it? The handsome one with the daemon?”

"Shhh...sleep," Yibo murmurs, his hand is resting against the small cub, the heaviness a comforting warmth for the daemon and it shares its pleasure and happiness as they drift off together.

~~~

_** 2016 ** _

"Why are you auditioning?"

Yibo looks up to see one of the other contestants gazing down at him curiously. Clearing his throat, he leans back in his seat, shuffling the cue cards in his hands nervously. He had been asked to keep Bailong out of sight after several of the other contestants had informed the staff that they would be unfairly disadvantaged by the daemon that made everyone else nervous. Of course, the fact that Yibo himself feels like he is being eaten alive by his nerves is beside the point. He had reluctantly sent Bailong away and the lion is currently sulking in timeout.

He knows a smile will likely come out as a grimace at this point so he doesn't bother trying. Honestly, he feels like frowning because he finds the question intrusive. However he is also aware that it is a fair question to ask and his idea of what is intrusive is likely much broader than most other people in his position. Shrugging, he licks his bottom lip, noting the way the older man's eyes follow the movement and he rolls his eyes inwardly.

"I was asked to audition."

"So you didn't want to be a host?"

Yibo considers the question from another contestant very carefully. He cannot say yes or no because one would be a lie and the other would likely automatically discount him from the position before he even goes up on the stage if any of the TTXS staff were to hear about it and he is one hundred percent sure they will. This is the entertainment industry and it is fucking cutthroat.

Finally deciding on a response that he can live with, Yibo answers quietly. "I don't know if I want to be one or not because I haven't tried it. I cannot go by someone else's experience of it so I am trying it for myself to see if I will like it."

The two men frown slightly, trying to follow his answer, unaware that one of the current hosts has overheard the conversation. 

"What if you don't like it?"

This time, Yibo does frown. His baby face managing to look even cuter as he considers the question he would normally deem as rude. He knows he is an unknown entity and the youngest of all of them. The current hosts are much older and the likelihood of him being able to fit in is very low but he is not one to give up. He isn't one to say no to a challenge either and while uncomfortable, it is only when faced with discomfort and pushing through it that a person is able to grow so Yibo had not given it a second thought, unhesitatingly agreeing when asked to audition. For someone who has a lot of trouble opening up, his UNIQ brothers, Xuan-ge especially had been quite concerned that it would be too far out of his comfort zone. 

Yibo’s comfort zone cannot compare though. He didn’t spend thousands to go to university for a few years, studying to become a designer, then succeeding at his chosen vocation only to throw it all away to pursue a dream where there was absolutely no guarantee of success. He should know seeing as he now has to do solo activities if he even wants to have something to do because UNIQ has effectively been hamstrung. He sees other idol groups that debuted around the time he did or later doing astronomically well and sometimes he feels like a failure. However, if someone was willing to take a huge chance and abandon basically everything he knew about life to enter into the unknown, then Yibo cannot give up. He will fight for his place in the entertainment industry. He does not expect it to be handed to him.

Couple this with his stubbornness, going through with the audition had been a given. He had actually never considered if he wouldn't like it for a number of reasons.

"You get to eat lots of food right? New kinds you normally wouldn't be able to experience without travelling?"

"Yeah, so?"

"And meet new people with all kinds of talent?"

"So?" 

"And experience new things and learn new tricks and be able to learn from these people?"

"I guess...honestly I don't know where you're going with this."

Yibo suddenly realises something and he smiles, causing the two men (and several more watching from afar) catch their breath. Yibo is beautiful, there is no doubt about it but it is something that startles you when it catches you unaware because he is so unassuming on his own. When alone and away from people he knows, his entire being is quiet yet you cannot help but stare and wonder why you are staring until a moment like this happens and the proverbial _"Oh"_ moment happens.

"You can also meet your idols."

"You have an idol you want to meet?"

The smile slides off immediately and the cool mask returns. "Who doesn't?"

\---

They try to draw Yibo back into a conversation but the teenager shakes his head, waving his cue cards and tells them politely that he would like to practice.

Thinking the kid strange. Beautiful, but strange. They finally leave him alone to chat amongst themselves. Not a single one of them bothers to study for the upcoming segments and Wang Han notices this. He notices the quiet boy in the corner muttering to himself as he checks his cue cards, while jiggling his knee, his nervous tension near palpable. He clenches and unclenches his fist and several times, Wang Han sees him searching the room only for his face to crumple in distress that he wipes in seconds. The jiggling gets worse, but he never stops studying his cue cards.

~~~

_** 2017 ** _

"What about that new group? The one from that tv program? The boy group with too many boys?"

Yibo's ears perk up instantly and he unthinkingly adds his two cents. "X-Nine from X-Fire?"

Wang Han regards the teenager who blushes and ducks his head the second he finishes speaking. The other brothers had started laughing, teasing their youngest member but he remembers the quiet boy backstage who had been needled into disclosing why he had auditioned. The only time he had smiled was when he had used the example of meeting idols as a reason for wanting to be a host. Wang Yibo is still warming up to them, much more comfortable now than he was before but he can still be painfully shy. Wang Han has come to find that for him to stick his neck out over anything is always worth considering because it means it is important to him.

"Yes, X-Nine. We will send them an invitation."

He hides his smile when Yibo's face lights up, and for the rest of the meeting, the teenager had been unable to stop beaming.

\---

"They're really coming?"

Wang Han laughs and ruffles the boy's hair affectionately. The fact that Yibo is glassy eyed and _lets him_ is surely a cause for concern but he knows what had caused this and it is nothing alarming.

"Who is it you're looking for?" Da Zhangwei asks, sitting next to Yibo on the couch and patting the teenager's knee. "You know you can tell us."

Yibo shakes his head and scrunches his nose. "No, all of you are going to be weird about it."

"Awww, come on Xiao Bobo."

The only reason Wang Han notices is because he happened to be looking at Yibo at the very moment he is called the nickname.

He leans back in his chair and watches their youngest brother stoically remain unmoved by the combined teasing of the older brothers, Qian Feng having joined in just then. He will not disclose Yibo's secret nor will he ask the boy about it, but he will definitely be keeping an eye on one of the two main vocalists in the huge boy band. 

Yibo had flinched, looking like lightning had hit him the way his eyes had lit up for a couple of seconds.

_Xiao Zhan._

\---

The only reason Yibo is calm is because of Bailong. It is literally the only reason. He had told Wang Han in advance that under no circumstances can they ask that he send Bailong away because if they do, they might as well not bother having him onstage. He will not be able to function or he might have a mini meltdown and Bailong will appear anyway and all hell might break loose. 

Wang Han who has a corporeal daemon of his own has always been against the idea of separating human from daemon. Sure, some daemons look scarier than others but they will never attack unless their human is fearful or in danger themselves so the chances of Bailong attacking anyone on the TTXS set is near negligible. If anyone wanted to get to Yibo, they would have to get through his older brothers first anyway before the daemon would even have a chance to attack. While the other brothers do not have corporeal daemons, they had definitely felt less than charitable towards the precious contestants who had caused Yibo to audition without his daemon nearby. Wang Han knew it had been biased of him to tell his brothers about it but he trusts his daemon and his gut instinct and both had told him that sending away Baidi that day had been very wrong. 

The brothers all look at the teenager curled up on the couch in their dressing room with his lion daemon resting its huge head against his belly. Yibo's eyes are closed as he runs his hands through the handsome lion's mane. 

“He really has it bad, huh?”

“Poor kid,” Qian Feng sighs. “He has not picked an easy path.”

“You know him. One way or the other, he will make it work.”

“Does this other boy even know?”

Wang Han shakes his head. “I highly doubt it. It took him months to warm up to us and we see him every week.”

“This is definitely a case of LDL.”

The two other brothers turn to Da Zhangwei. “Huh?” Qian Feng verbalises their confusion.

“Long-distance longing.”

Qian Feng chuckles. “You mean a crush?”

Da Zhangwei shakes his head. “This is Yibo and he’s not the kind to fall easily. This is a little more than a crush I’d say.”

For a moment, Wang Han is tempted to tell them who it is, but knowing how protective they are over their _Xiao Bobo_ , it would likely end in disaster with too much attention paid on the boy. Well, man. He is six years older than Yibo. Wang Han has absolutely no doubt that Yibo could get anyone he wanted but getting past that near debilitating shyness at the start is the challenge Yibo will need to figure out how to overcome and he cannot really help him there.

—

“Are you okay?”

Yibo nods, shrugging his shoulders and loosening them up. He cracks his neck several times and jogs on the spot for thirty seconds to release all the excess energy he has. The fact that Wang Han can pick up on his jittery energy spikes is quite remarkable and he appreciates the older man’s care and attention. 

Wang Han makes a decision that he will never find out led to Bailong searching out Zhulong that day.

“Xiao Zhan has been looking at you.”

Yibo freezes, his expression exactly like a deer in headlights as he gapes at Wang Han. The older man waits patiently for the teenager to regain his wits.

“Really?” He asks, his voice barely a whisper.

“I would never lie to you.”

The inexplicable explosion of joy and unbearable fondness sends Bailong, who had been reclining in the dressing room, to his feet, head cocked, trying to figure out what had pricked his attention. Sniffing the air, he finds what he is looking for and without any hesitation, he follows his nose.

~~~

_** March 2018 ** _

“This is career suicide. Are you insane?”

“It’s my career, not yours. My contract explicitly states that I can pursue whatever acting roles I want as long as I can fit it into my schedule.”

“The filming is in summer isn’t it? All summer? You’re a mentor in Produce 101. How the hell do you think this is supposed to work?”

“I’ll make it work.”

“He hasn’t actually gotten the part yet,” another voice interrupts. “I just received an email to say no.” She pauses before adding pointedly. “Again.”

Bailong starts growling. It is low and a warning. One of the women opens her mouth but whatever she says is drowned out by a loud roar.

They flee the room immediately.

The sound reaches the outside of the building. Yixuan and Wenhan who had only just arrived don’t even need to exchange a look before they start running up the stairs to find their baby brother.

—

Yibo is squashed in the middle of the small three-seater couch with his geges on either side of him. Yixuan is playing with his hair and Wenhan is patting his thigh, careful to avoid the sleeping daemon. Bailong is in cub form and dozing underneath Yibo’s sweatshirt against his heart. The angry king of the jungle is gone and in its place is a daemon in the form that offers its human the most comfort.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I have to. I can’t live with _what if_.”

Yixuan sighs, his finger is completely tangled in Yibo’s hair and he needs his other hand to free himself gently so as not to tug at the younger boy’s scalp.

“For what it’s worth, when you sent me the description of the character, I thought it fit. It’s easy to imagine you in the role and if they don’t think you can pass for the second most beautiful cultivator or whatever then they’re fucking blind.”

“Second?” Wenhan frowns. “Who’s the first? Who can beat our beautiful white peony?” He asks, his indignance growing with each word.

Yibo’s laughter is more of a watery gurgle and the two older men hug him.

“Do what you need to do. You won’t be able to rest if you don’t. Find the first gap in your schedule and go. If they don’t cast you on sight then they are blind as fuck and you don’t need this.”

“I will.”

—

“Zhulong.”

The white bunny materialises out of nowhere and the little cub pounces on him immediately with a squeaky roar. He has been calling for the bunny for a couple of days and this is the first time he has answered. 

“Aiya!!!” The bunny swats at the exuberant cub before he gives up and lays prone, giggling as the whiskers tickle his belly. “Why are you so happy?”

“Yibo is happy and I am happy gege is finally here.”

“He got the part,” he guesses, eyes glinting as he rubs his paws together when the cub pauses to nod before licking his ear. “Finally? Did you try calling me before?”

“Mn.”

“Aiya you silly thing. I told you it’s only if I am in timeout.”

~~~

_** April 2018 ** _

“I can’t move.”

“Neither can I.”

“What time is it?”

“Time to sleep as far as I’m concerned.”

“My body hurts too much. I don’t think I can sleep.”

“It’s gonna hurt worse tomorrow.”

“Da-ge!”

Wang Yizhou raises his head wearily off the floor to look at the short annoying squirt determined to make his life a living hell. “Go away.”

Yubin and Zhoucheng laugh mirthlessly, staring at the ceiling and wondering what wrongs they’ve done to be put through this. 

“I brought drinks!” 

Ji Li waves the cooler he is carrying that Yizhou had missed the first time. 

“The only drink I’m interested in at this stage is a nice cold beer.” Yizhou grumbles.

“Ask and you shall receive,” Ji Li replies brightly, collapsing next to his onscreen older brother and popping the lid of the cooler open. “Here.” He places a can of beer in the centre of Yizhou’s broad chest, his ears pinking slightly. He is dressed as Nie Huaisang, having been practicing grooming and etiquette and how to move with the heavy wig. He has a headache but when he had been given the cooler with a paternal smile from one of the instructors putting most of the fighting actors through their paces and told to go and bring some cheer to the gloomy group, his headache had lightened considerably. 

Yizhou sits up instantly, grasping the lovely ice cold can in one hand and unthinkingly pulling the smaller man into a one armed hug and kissing his forehead.

“I have the best baby brother hands down.”

“Hey!” Two voices echo.

“Gross, Da-ge!!!” Ji Li shoves the sweaty man half heartedly away. He keeps his head down and hands out more beers.

Yubin elbows Zhuocheng as they fight to grab the closest beer. “You’re the baby brother.”

“Exactly.”

“Speaking of baby brothers, where’s yours?” 

Haikuan drags himself upright and waves off Ji Li who tries to hand him a beer. “Is there water?”

Nodding, Ji Li pulls out a small bottle of water and tosses it to him.

The actors playing the junior quartet crowd around as well and even though some of them are older than Ji Li, they behave younger in accordance with their roles and bicker and fight good-naturedly. The entire ensemble cast gets along well though one member is conspicuously missing.

Well, two members.

“When’s Yibo coming back?”

Haikuan shrugs at the question directed at him. “I don’t know.”

They are all sitting around quite haphazardly, all nursing a can of beer except for Haikuan.

“Where’s Xiao Zhan?”

Ji Li puts up his hand to answer, making everyone laugh. “He came through the other room an hour ago. He mentioned that he’s too exhausted to wait for the bus and he’s going to call a Didi and go back to have a shower and go to bed because his body hurts.”

“Good luck with that.”

“His daemon is a phoenix. I’m sure he can sleep.”

“Hey about that. Can his daemon heal us too?”

Haikuan shakes his head. “No, and you can’t ask. Magical daemons are strictly the responsibility of their humans and no other human may ask it or compel its human to make it to do anything. There are harsh penalties for this.”

“Did we ever settle on whether Yibo is the one or five percent?”

There is a slapping sound and a loud exclamation. 

“Weren’t you at that script reading the other day? His daemon can transform into a dragon. A white dragon. He is 100% in the one percent.”

“There’s so much to remember about these daemons.”

Ji Li wrinkles his nose at that remark and looks at Yizhou who stares at him for a second longer before turning to address that statement.

“Most people don’t remember because they don’t need to and really, you don’t need to either because it’s technically absolutely none of your business. You just need stick to the fundamental rule.”

“Don’t engage,” Ji Li adds helpfully.

Yubin frowns. “You do realise that’s far easier said than done? How many sets have not one but two daemons walking around? How many are so chatty like that Chidi or cute as fuck like Baidi?”

“He’s not even talking to you,” Ji Li points out. “He talks to his human. Just because you happen to be in the vicinity doesn’t mean he’s talking to you.” He shakes his head. “And whatever you do, don’t touch Baidi no matter how cute you think he is. You will be kicked from this production faster than you can say your own name.”

“You’re supposed to learn to basically treat them as if they are invisible,” Haikuan adds. “It’s hard especially when you’ve lived with one. I don’t think I was fully able to disregard the presence of a daemon until I started university when I was forced to because there were far more at that level than there were when I was younger.”

“It’s harder with high level daemons because they _will_ want to engage at some point. Most other daemons just keep to themselves.”

Fanxing wrinkles his nose and puts up his hand gingerly. Everyone laughs just as they did with Ji Li and Haikuan gestures for him to speak.

“I spoke to the directors about my concerns about accidentally offending their daemons just before this horrible flying lesson.” Groans echo around the room in agreement and commiseration. The wire work practice had been brutal. Fanxing smiles slightly before continuing. “They said they already have someone coming in to talk to us about daemons. It’s mandatory for everyone except our leads.”

“Makes sense.”

—

Xiao Zhan is irritated. Irritated and out of sorts and just…irritated.

Zhulong is curled up on Yibo’s pillow and staring intently at him. His eyes glint red again in reaction to his human’s mood. 

The day after dropping that bomb on him, Yibo had flown out for his other commitments that very same night and Xiao Zhan hasn’t heard from him in four days.

Four days.

It’s like the boy never existed. That Xiao Zhan dreamt the whole thing up. There is a hollow feeling in his chest and it is making him restless and out of sorts. 

And just plain irritated. 

He dries his hair viciously, relishing the tug of pain it accords. Zhulong had helped with his general aches and pains the minute they had reached the privacy of their room. He had protested at first, saying it isn’t fair that he can be healed and his other fellow cast members have to deal with their various aches and pains over the next few days but after the ache in his waist had been magically relieved and he could finally draw a proper breath without wincing, he stops protesting. Zhulong had pointed out in a sardonic tone that he has his own painkiller. He doesn’t need drugs.

“Do you want me to try and call him?”

“Call who?”

“Bailong. He’s in timeout at the moment. Yibo is flying.”

Xiao Zhan lowers his arms and stares at his daemon who stares back. He is in his bunny form, a normal sized bunny this time and looking quite comfortable on someone else’s pillow. He shakes his head, still not understanding.

“What do you mean you want to try and call him? Is this some kind of daemon phone?”

Zhulong sighs and hops off the pillow and then off the bed completely. He lops over to Xiao Zhan’s damp feet and shrinks to the size of an average dwarf rabbit. 

Xiao Zhan bends over and picks him up automatically, nuzzling the soft white fur. He tosses his towel over one of the chairs and pads barefoot over to sit on Yibo’s bed. He may or may not have been sleeping in his co-star’s bed while he is away, his excuse being that the AC is acting up and wouldn’t be fixed till tomorrow and the wall is cold.

When he had first done it, Zhulong decided not to point out that he had been given a standing fan and due to the cord, it is actually closer to his own bed when turned on. To be fair, Xiao Zhan’s glare had dared him to say something and just to be contrary to his natural urge to tease, he had contented himself with a raspberry at the silly man and leaving it at that.

Crawling up his human’s bare chest to rest against his shoulder, Zhulong nuzzles along the steady pulse at this neck. The past few days has been brutal both physically and emotionally. They start the mornings with scene grabs or select scenes that the directors believe would be difficult for the actors. Most of these included Xiao Zhan in some shape or form and mostly either involved his siblings or the Wens. No one comments about the missing Wang Yibo having already been told at the first breakfast that Yibo would be available when he’s available.

Well, in not so many words, they were simply told _he’ll be here when he’s here_. 

Someone had made a tiny snark about how it must be nice to be a big star. Xiao Zhan had heard but pretended he hadn’t because in truth, he had entertained the exact same thought for a split second before dismissing it completely as being ridiculous. He cannot very well call out someone for something he had considered even if he had dismissed it. It seemed too hypocritical.

He hadn’t needed to defend Yibo though because Ji Li pipes up with a single rhetorical question that shuts everyone down on the matter.

“Exactly, so what’s a big star doing potentially committing career suicide acting in a BL with a bunch of nobodies?” 

That question had troubled Xiao Zhan for the next three days.

Due to his mood, Zhulong had been uncharacteristically quiet. He gets chatty and snarky occasionally but nothing like the way he was with Yibo and Bailong around. The fact that Xiao Zhan hadn’t called him out on his own odd behaviour tells the daemon that the man is inside his own head too much for it to be healthy.

Offering comfort as only he can, Zhulong shrinks even more until he is the size of a bunny that can easily fit in Xiao Zhan’s small hand. Xiao Zhan leans his bare body against the cool wall, flinching just marginally on the initial contact before sinking fully against it with a small sigh. Zhulong settles himself comfortably on his shoulder and nuzzles his ear, making his human giggle.

“Tickles.”

“Can we talk?”

The giggling dies a quick death and Xiao Zhan sighs again. His long legs are overhanging the narrow bed and he wiggles his toes.

“Yeah sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“Do you remember our conversation before the script reading?”

Xiao Zhan scrunches his nose up. That day had been a whirlwind of utter chaos and madness. And embarrassingly, his primary takeaway from the day had been Yibo’s cheeky _when?_ in response to his expletive. So much happened that day including the insanity of Bailong snuggling under his shirt to comfort Zhulong and yet that is literally the one thing he remembers vividly. 

The way Yibo’s full mouth tugged up in the corner into a smirk.

The way his eyes are bright with humour yet still soft as if looking at a cute animal.

And the way the smirk turns into a full-fledged grin that makes his cheeks puff so cutely Xiao Zhan cannot get the image out of his head no matter how hard he tries.

To his mortification, up to the point where Yibo had informed him that he wouldn’t be staying for dinner because he had a flight to catch at 7pm, Xiao Zhan had been working up the courage to ask what the hell his co-star had meant by _when?_ with a mentally prepared lecture of how saying such things will cause people to misunderstand and that neither of them can afford such a scandal.

That ridiculous mental lecture had died a swift death when Yibo had told him he would be leaving, avoiding his gaze the whole time as he packed up his things, not taking his suitcase because that was always meant to stay but he takes his toiletries and his Nike bag.

It was Zhulong who had prodded about the suddenness and Yibo had told him it was unplanned. He had asked to film some TTXS episodes back-to-back so as to be able to be around for longer stretches and they had only just informed his manager that it was possible but he has to fly out that same day to film a short segment that night. 

Watching Yibo pack, the emotions that he had felt earlier that day that caused him to cry so bitterly surge back to the surface. 

_He’s leaving me._

Xiao Zhan is superstitious and he had beaten himself up for using such a terrible reason to find the emotions he needed for the scene. For some reason, he had found himself stuck and the only thing that pulled instinctively at his gut was to imagine Yibo leaving him. Leaving him for good…in death. Whether as a friend or more, it didn’t even matter. Just the horrid emptiness and the fact that he would never see him again was enough. The scene with Lulu was similar enough and he had let everything out.

And drowned his poor daemon in the process. 

The superstitious part of him had been so traumatised when Yibo had said he was leaving that he had actually shut down for a few long minutes to deal with the guilt and the emotional bleed.

_“Bye bye, Zhan-ge. Be good.”_

“I guess you don’t remember,” Zhulong mutters, feeling the surge of confusion and jumbled emotions in his human. He sends as much comfort as he can to counter the sudden influx and they sit quietly, Xiao Zhan’s breath making soft hitching sounds every now and again as he greedily accepts the reassurance and love from his daemon.

It takes about half an hour, before Xiao Zhan is finally calm enough.

“What would I do without you?” He rubs his cheek against the soft body of his bunny.

“You never have to find out,” Zhulong replies before easing to the point. “Do you like your castmates?”

Xiao Zhan smiles instantly, remembering the camaraderie of the last few days, all of them united in their complaints from the interesting but brutal training. He had practiced playing the flute yesterday until his fingers actually cramped up and even Haikuan, the accomplished musician, had commiserated, unused to his own instrument.

“Xuan Lu?”

His smile widens. “Shijie is great! They casted her so well she’s exactly how they describe her, being gentle but fierce when she has to be. Did you see her smack Zhuocheng the other day for sassing me? His face was a right picture.” He slides a little lower down the wall and reaches out to grab a pillow to support his lower back. “She’s so cool and bright. I feel at ease when she’s around.”

“Mn. That’s nice. What about Ji Li?”

Xiao Zhan starts chuckling. “He says the damndest things sometimes. We’d be sitting around and he’ll suddenly blurt out something so completely out of the blue. I’d like to know how his brain works. He always manages to lighten the mood though so I appreciate that.”

“I see. Do you like Yibo?”

Predictably, Xiao Zhan starts spluttering immediately until Zhulong smacks his soft paw against his clean-shaven cheek. 

“Hey!”

“Hey, yourself. I asked a simple question. I didn’t ask if you wanted to have his babies.” Zhulong snickers softly. “I just asked if you like him.”

Xiao Zhan folds his arms and pouts dramatically. His entire face is basically one giant scrunched up pout. 

Zhulong hops down onto his lap, landing lightly and turning to look up at Xiao Zhan before falling backwards laughing.

Xiao Zhan tosses his irritating daemon off his knee onto the bed with a massive huff but the white rabbit doesn’t stop laughing.

His face is starting to ache a little so he relaxes his facial muscles and massages his face while waiting for his annoying daemon to regain its wits.

“Are you done?” He asks, rolling his eyes when Zhulong rests his chin on his bare thigh, still chuckling.

Zhulong nods before grinning and repeating his question. “Do you like Yibo?”

Xiao Zhan narrows his eyes at the now innocent looking daemon gazing up at him expectantly. They stare at each other until Xiao Zhan scrunches his nose again. “Yes,” he finally answers hoping the daemon will leave it at that though well knowing it won’t. He steels himself for the inevitable barrage.

That never comes.

“Okay.” Zhulong’s pink nose twitches. “We only have a few minutes because they just landed.” His nose twitches harder and he huffs, muttering to himself. “I can’t believe he just did this without knowing the significance and I’m nervous that I might not be able to.” He hops lightly up onto Xiao Zhan’s knee.

Xiao Zhan’s brow knits. “Huh?”

“Bailong.” Zhulong’s voice is clear.

“Gege!” The rabbit goes tumbling off his perch, tackled gently by a very happy baby cub who licks a stripe up one ear, making the rabbit laugh.

Xiao Zhan goes flying off the bed, practically throwing himself into his own bed and pulling the covers up over his head, his eyes wide, his heart pounding, and his head spinning.

“What the fuck?” He whispers to himself. “What the fuck? What the hell? What the fuck?”

Bailong turns his head to the shivering lump on the other bed. “Gege?” He nuzzles the white rabbit that has grown bigger to match him in size. “What’s wrong with him?”

Zhulong chuckles, his ears flicking, curving one to tickle under Bailong’s nose making the cub squeal. Bailong is happy which is interesting considering Yibo has basically been silent for four days. “He’s having an epiphany. How’s Yibo?”

The cub calms down immediately, looking over at the still shivering lump in the other bed before he settles down and rests his head on his front paws. 

“Restless and frustrated. Management added more things to his schedule.”

“Why?”

“They want to squeeze in as much as possible before sponsors start pulling out because of this role.”

“What do they think will happen?”

The cub shrugs. “I don’t know. Yibo doesn’t want to talk. He lets me comfort him every night but he doesn’t want to talk about it.” Bailong lifts his head to look over at the other bed. “I think he will talk to Xiao Zhan though and I will ask him to call but I have to go now.” He moves to stand and butts his head gently against the white rabbit’s. “He will call for me soon.”

“Okay.”

“Bye bye, gege.”

Zhulong hops off Yibo’s bed and goes to Xiao Zhan’s, hopping up and nosying under the covers to find his human wide-eyed and rubbing his forearms frantically as if he is cold. Making himself smaller and jumping into the space between his arms, he rests against Xiao Zhan’s rapidly beating heart. The man sounds as if he has just ran a marathon.

“Why are you so hopeless?” He asks, his tone fond. 

“H-h-how did you d-d-do th-that?”

“Try and remember what I said to you the other day. I said something very clearly but you seem to have forgotten. I know you have a good memory and there’s a reason I don’t want to repeat myself because I shouldn’t have said it in the first place but I don’t know how long it’ll take for him to say anything so try and remember please. Allow me to calm you down so you can try and remember. Close your eyes.”

Xiao Zhan obeys mechanically but his tense body relaxes within a couple of minutes. His mind drifts, assisted by his daemon.

He sifts through the haze of his memories of that day, some brighter than others but nearly all had Yibo in them in some shape or form. He lingers on the younger man’s expression at breakfast.

_"I mean everything I say.”_

Xiao Zhan shivers as the words echo in his mind and his heart thuds painfully with the look in Yibo’s eyes. He had idly read over the script that morning, looking for the parts where Yibo spoke the most and he had landed on the cave scene with the Xuanwu monster.

_If you do not have those intentions then do not flirt with others and cause them uncertainty._

His reading of that line overlapped with Yibo’s face when he stared at him and uttered those simple five words. 

_"I mean everything I say.”_

He sucks in a slightly shuddering breath for another memory slips in. The one that keeps bothering and still bothers him.

_“Fuck.”_

_“When?”_

Why hadn’t he remembered his words from that morning then?

Why hadn’t he remembered?

Why hadn’t he…?

_"I mean everything I say.”_

He sucks in his bottom lip, clenching his eyes tight and driving that memory out for now. He cannot think about that. He needs to remember what Zhulong is referring to.

He goes backwards systematically, remembering the little lion cub, so adorably cuddly and clingy, keeping close to Zhulong during the reading after lunch, both of them falling asleep within half an hour of the restart, curled around each other in a yin/yang symbol. Yibo had been distracted by it for a few minutes, staring at the two sleeping daemons. He hadn’t been the only one, many of the other actors stealing surreptitious glances though none had dared to ask for a photo.

That session had been much more lighthearted, Yibo cracking up at his constant mispronunciation of his lines, making a joke about cultivating the subway. His hair was so fluffy, falling into his eyes as he threw his head back, laughing easily. At the time, Xiao Zhan hadn’t known that he wouldn’t even be having the evening meal with the handsome young man. 

He tries to skim past the rest but he doesn’t get very far for he is back in the cave scene with the Xuanwu monster and trying to take Yibo’s clothes off. 

He shakes his head, brow furrowing deeply.

Not Yibo. Lan Zhan. Wei Ying was trying to take Lan Zhan’s clothes off.

Flushing he moves on quickly.

Back over Yibo’s knee pressing warmly against his leg.

Back over Yibo’s large hand stopping an inch from his nose.

How much of his face would that hand cover?

He hears Zhulong chuckling and he scrunches his nose and pushes back further. His daemon cannot see what he’s thinking but he can probably feel it. He idly wonders what that thought had felt like to the daemon to make him laugh.

Back…back…back…

And then he stops.

_“He’s so young…”_

_“That’s the problem?” Zhulong interrupts and his voice resonates his disbelief. The bunny keels over dramatically, laying on its back and staring up at the dirty ceiling. “Do you have any idea how powerful his interest had to be for his daemon to be able to track me down? You probably don’t remember but you told me to stay out of sight that day. I was hiding when he found me, Xiao Zhan. I was in timeout when he found me.”_

_“Don’t all daemons go to timeout?”_

_“Are you being stupid on purpose?”_

He sucks in a sharp breath.

Xiao Zhan barely feels Zhulong moving to press against his heart tightly, his ear over the rabbiting pace of the organ. 

His body is damp with sweat from being under the covers and in a room without AC and yet, despite being someone who hates the heat, he doesn’t notice.

_“Do you have any idea how powerful his interest had to be for his daemon to be able to track me down?”_

His mind blurs into a moment a day later. 

A day later without Yibo.

_“Exactly, so what’s a big star doing potentially committing career suicide acting in a BL with a bunch of nobodies?”_

As if all the synapses are finally firing properly again, his brain starts connecting the dots. 

He goes backwards once again.

Back…back…back…

_”I wanted this role because I knew you were Wei Wuxian.”_

Xiao Zhan opens his eyes.

Turning to look down at the daemon pressed against his chest and looking up at him with solemn eyes, he caresses it’s soft body gently as he speaks.

“He said he doesn’t know why.”

“What doesn’t he know?”

Xiao Zhan pulls the covers down and stares across at the empty bed.

“He told me he wanted the role because he knew I was playing Wei Wuxian,” he pauses, scratching Zhulong’s head gently, not noticing the rabbit’s eyes have widened and he looks…surprised. “But when I asked him why, he said he doesn’t know. He said he doesn’t know why and I believe him.”

Zhulong thumps his head lightly on Xiao Zhan’s chest several times before he swallows a sigh. 

“Xiao Zhan…I think he might even believe that himself but you have to know, daemon magic and daemons themselves are absolutely tied to their human.”

“How…” Xiao Zhan swallows past the lump in his throat, his voice barely a whisper. “How powerful did his interest have to be for Bailong to have found you in timeout?”

“I don’t know, but I asked Wang Shu and Qing Shan and while they are both able to call each other from timeout, they said it was impossible for two daemons who had never met to be able to do it.”

“Attempt the impossible…”

“Xiao Zhan, this isn’t your drama. He didn’t attempt it. He did it.” 

“Wait…” Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen. “Wait, my parents. Their daemons can call each other from timeout?”

“Yes,” Zhulong starts laughing at the pink tint spreading across Xiao Zhan’s cheeks and down his neck. “I called Bailong from timeout.”

“Fuck.”

“When?” 

Zhulong shoots off the bed laughing hysterically as Xiao Zhan throws a pillow at him with a frustrated exclamation.

—

All the cast present at training that day are sitting around waiting for their dinner to be delivered. Due to a mix-up with their buses, they are still at least a good three hours from their showers and their bed and it is already after 6pm. Most are leaning against each other for their day had started at 4am due to their directors only being able to be with them until 8am that morning. They had been promised an early finish and now, despite being technically finished, they are unable to properly rest.

“Da-ge you stink. I think you might smell better if you took off your tee shirt.”

Laughter scatters across the group of actors as Yizhou shoves Ji Li good-naturedly. Their two leads are not the only ones to hit it off, Ji Li being Ji Li had shadowed Wang Yizhou until the man had no choice but to engage. Liu Haikuan and Zhu Zanjin had also hit it off, as had the four actors playing the juniors as well as Song Jiyang and Wang Haoxuan. The rest are still finding their place but none are made to feel left out. Xuan Lu, Yubin and Ji Li generally keeping the overall mood up and making sure everyone is included in some way or other.

“I have a spare teeshirt if you want it?” Haikuan calls out from across the heads of the group to be met with laughter and several boos. Confused, he turns to Zanjin who is also laughing. “What did I say?”

“I think they wanted him to stay topless.”

“Oh.”

They all remain chatting and exchanging pointers and notes about their day when there is a sudden disturbance and all their wire-work instructors and handlers return to the large purpose built hall.

“What’s going on?” Yubin calls out. “I thought we were done?”

Several other actors vocalise their agreement to that. For a lot of them, this is their first drama and for most, definitely their first taste of wire work. The day had been gruelling to the point where some of the younger actors had started viewing the harnesses as torture devices.

“It’s not for you though you can join in if you like. Show him what you’ve learned today.” The lead instructor smiles. He likes the group of youngsters. Despite the visible pain he could see in some of their faces, he hadn’t heard a single complaint. They are in for a rough two weeks though for this is just the start of the wire work.

“Him?” Yubin asks aloud.

The answer arrives preceded by a full grown male lion.

Dressed in black sweatpants and a black hoodie with a cap pulled low over his face and the hood up over it, Wang Yibo is unrecognisable but for his daemon. Well, but for his daemon and the fluid way he walks, rolling his hips that he looks as if he is swaggering in. He is doing no such thing of course but coupled with the remarkably aloof expression on his face, he does look like a kid who has had his entire life handed to him on a plate.

The same instructor frowns at the newcomer. They are being paid extra to fit this actor in due to his busy schedule, and he can already imagine the complaints for he was told that this kid has never done wire work either. 

Pasting his professional smile on, he goes to greet the drama’s star, Wang Yibo.

—

The female cast members cannot help their squeaks of distress as Wang Yibo is pulled up high. Higher than anyone else has been so far, nearly to the ceiling of the huge facility and that would probably be a good four storeys high.

“Is that necessary?”

“He is supposed to practice spinning or something.”

“Did all of you practice spinning?”

“His choreography is much more complex compared to ours. I think he flies around the most.”

“I feel sorry for his balls already.”

“There are ladies here! Mind your tongue.”

“Sorry.”

“He’s definitely lighter than you anyway so it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

“Shut up!”

—

They have been at it for almost three hours. The kid barely says anything apart from clarifying instructions and he had the distinctly uncomfortable experience of having to speak to the boy’s daemon before they began to assure it that everything was safe. The lion’s baleful glare would have unmanned a lesser man but he has been around for awhile and gone through his own wars so he manages to remain calm as he explains all the safety features. He had to do it earlier in the day too but explaining it to a scowling white rabbit is infinitely less intimidating compared to a full grown lion literally within biting distance. 

The kid’s parting words to his daemon had also been a cause for concern.

_“Baidi, no dragons.”_

Apart from that, the kid had been a dream to work with. He knows his own body very well and is able to follow instructions and execute them beautifully. His control especially in forcing his body upright or back into the position he is meant to be in is stunning to behold and as a veteran, he has never trained an actor like him and especially not a rookie. He mentally reminds himself to apologise to the kid once they are done for his assumptions earlier. 

When they are finally done, the young man is smiling, exhilarated despite the intense session. He high fives all the men who had been supporting him before stopping at the lead instructor and bowing with a bright grin.

“That was so much fun! I’m so sorry I have to go but I hope we get to do more of that.”

The man can’t help but reach out and clap the handsome young man on the shoulder. “Kid, you’ll regret those words over the next four months.”

“Impossible!” He grins cheekily, his hand in his lion’s mane. “Baidi can tell you how much fun I had.”

The lion nods sagely. “He especially liked the twirling.”

“Spinning.”

“Twirling.”

Yibo laughs. “Fine, twirling. I don’t care what you call it. That was fun.”

The older man smiles so widely his eyes crinkle. “I look forward to working with you,” he holds out his hand and the young actor grasps it enthusiastically, shaking it firmly. He is surprised to find his palm dwarfed, not having noticed the boy’s large hands earlier. 

“Likewise. Will you be here the rest of the time? I have to go now and won’t be back till late the day after tomorrow but I wanted to talk to you about some of the movements because I don’t think it’ll be as smooth with my costume.”

“I’ll be here,” he laughs. The kid’s enthusiasm is catching. He has been at this since starting the set-up at 6am but despite it being almost 9pm, he practically feels ready to tackle a brand new day from the sheer energy the youngster is exuding. “I’m talking to the costume department tomorrow but I think I know which moves you mean. I’ll discuss it with them and catch you up when you’re back. How does that sound?”

“Great!” Yibo grins and gives him two thumbs up.

“Yibo! The car is here. We have to go now.”

He watches as the smile slides off the kid’s face. 

Yibo sends him an apologetic glance before pulling his cap from the back pocket of his pants and secures it over his head. He runs back out the way he came, pausing abruptly at the huge group of people sitting on the floor. 

“Huh? Why are you guys here?”

“Yibo! Hurry up! You can’t miss this flight!”

“Fuck. Ok, uh,” he looks over the pond of people as if searching for someone.

“They are not here,” Bailong nudges Yibo’s hand. 

“Oh.”

The entire cast sees the crestfallen face the young man is unable to hide. They wave to him, returning his awkward half wave, watching as he runs out the door with his daemon by his side.

“He only just noticed we were here?” Yubin’s voice is completely incredulous. “We’ve been here the whole time.”

“What I want to know,” Yizhou stares at the empty doorway. “Is how the fuck is he still running?”

“Is someone going to tell Xiao Zhan he was here?”

“Don’t get involved in their business.”

“But—“

“Just leave it alone. Come on, the bus is here.”

Groans of relief echo amongst the cast as they help each other to stand, all moaning at their various aches and pains, some of which were from a prolonged period of sitting on the floor.

Zhuocheng slips through the crowd to find Lulu.

“Jie…I think we should tell him.”

“I’ll do it.”

—

The ride to the airport will take about half an hour. He is already checked in so will just need to hightail it to the gate. Yibo fiddles with his phone the whole way, opening and closing WeChat multiple times. Bailong is back to being a cub and he whines, pawing at his arm.

“What is it?”

“You miss them.”

Yibo’s mouth curls up slightly. “And you don’t?”

Bailong huffs and climbs into his lap, butting his head against his chest. “I saw them earlier. I’m fine now but you haven’t even spoken to Xiao Zhan. Why haven’t you called him?”

Yibo frowns. “Back up a second there. What do you mean you saw them earlier? They were there and you didn’t tell me?”

“No, gege called me while you were on the plane.” He curls up and settles in Yibo’s lap and starts licking his paw and grooming himself.

“What do you mean gege called you?”

Bailong pauses his grooming and looks up at Yibo with innocent golden eyes. “Like how I call him but I can only call if he’s in timeout.” He returns to licking his paw. 

Yibo’s frown deepens. This sounds vaguely familiar. Very vaguely. His parents had mentioned something like this but it’s not something all daemons can do. “Can you call Yu Yan or Ying Yue?” He asks about his parents’ daemons.

His daemon shakes his head without looking up. He just needs to finish this paw. Bailong hears Yibo huff and he mimics the sound though it is much more high pitched and he gives up on his paw for lost and clambers up the front of the human’s hoodie and starts licking his chin. He can feel the tension but he’s not really sure what is causing it so he tries to soothe it. He stops after a few seconds because if anything, Yibo grows more tense.

“What’s wrong?”

“You tell me.” Yibo nuzzles his daemon. “I don’t understand. You’ve only just met Zhulong and you can call him but you can’t call my parents’?”

Bailong nuzzles back. “It’s not like that. Yu Yan and Ying Yue can only call each other. I can only call gege and gege can only call me.”

“What?” Yibo reaches up to pull his cub from his shoulder and he stares at the little thing dead in the eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Mean?” 

Yibo can see the confusion in the cub’s eyes. “Do you know why only you can call Zhulong and vice versa?”

“Like Yu Yan and Ying Yue.”

“My parents are married and their daemons are close,” he groans in frustration and brings his cub closer and nuzzles his nose. “It makes no sense and I need to understand. Did you never ask Zhulong?”

“What was there to ask?” Bailong wriggles and Yibo places him back in his lap. “It’s a daemon thing. I know it’s right and it’s not a bad thing. I’m close to gege too.”

Yibo remembers the spooning he woke up to several mornings ago. “About that. We never really talked about it. How come you’re so comfortable with him? Zhan-ge said you treat each other like family and I think I understand…” he trails off. Actually, he really is starting to understand and he feels a warmth bloom in his chest. He thought it was just Xiao Zhan liking him back but…

The cub brightens and nods. The passing streetlights illuminate his face at intervals and Yibo can see that Bailong really is quite happy. “Like Yu Yan and Ying Yue.”

“Like Yu Yan and Ying Yue,” he echoes softly and strokes the cub, rubbing his thumb in circles on its head making Bailong purr as he settles down in his lap. His other hand fiddles with his phone and this time there is no hesitation when he sends the message.

_**21:17 When were you planning on telling me you saw Bailong today?** _

He taps out a tune on his thigh with the corner of his phone, his other hand still petting Bailong. His phone vibrates.

**21:18 Yibo?**

Yibo huffs.

_**21:18 Who else would it be?** _

**21:19 Had to be sure…**

_**21:19 Ridiculous.** _

In their room on Yibo’s bed, Xiao Zhan laughs.

**21:20 What are you doing?**

_**21:21 Heading back to the airport. I won’t be back for two more days.** _

Xiao Zhan frowns. Yibo was meant to be back tomorrow. He sits up and leans against the wall. “Ahhhhh…” he gasps at the contact against his bare skin. He waves the dozing Zhulong off when he lifts his head from his place on Xiao Zhan’s pillow. His fingers fly over his phone.

**21:23 Two more days? But you’re supposed to be back tomorrow. What’s going on? Can I help? Actually you’re lucky. The AC broke down after you left and I only have a fan and I’m dying. They’ll fix it tomorrow though so you’ll come back to a nice cool room. We had wire work today and it was brutal and you probably have more fighting scenes. Yibo! What are we going to do?**

Yibo smirks. 

_**21:23 Awwww did Zhan-ge miss me?** _

Xiao Zhan splutters and bares his teeth at his phone. “This brat I swear…” He scrunches his nose. “I’m gonna leave him on read. That’ll teach him.” He huffs and drops his phone onto his thigh and crosses his arms and glares at it. Which part of his message did it imply he missed him? That he does is besides the point of course. He picks up his phone and scrolls over his message again before he groans and thumps his head against the wall.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

“I’m not fixing self-inflicted injuries,” Zhulong drawls and turns so he is facing Xiao Zhan. “What’s with you? The fan is on you and you’re still so red.”

“Shut up.”

“Well excuse you.”

His phone buzzes and he yelps, not missing the smirk on Zhulong’s face. Sticking his tongue out at his daemon who returns in kind, he looks at his phone.

_**21:27 Just so you know, ghosting me won’t work. I know where to find you.** _

**21:28 Why are you like this? Can you be human please?**

_**21:29 You like me like this.** _

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/119507/119507_original.jpg)

_**21:29 Or do you prefer this?** _

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/119721/119721_original.gif)

“Good luck, Zhan-ge.” Yibo chuckles and scoops his drowsing daemon up. “Bailong, we’re here. Do you want to sleep in my hoodie?” Bailong stretches and lets out a little mewl and curls up again without replying, snuggling against Yibo’s chest. His heart is bursting with fondness and he unzips his hoodie and secures Bailong against his chest before zipping his hoodie back up. 

Pulling his cap down low over his face and cradling his daemon, Yibo steps out of the van. The airport is bustling enough for that time of the night, but the horrible screaming fans are nowhere in sight. His schedule has changed so much over the past few days they barely know where he is at any one time and he’d prefer to keep it that way.

“Your flight is just about to start boarding. Final call will probably be within twenty minutes. You need to run.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He feels his phone buzzing but he doesn’t look at it, smirking slightly as he powers it off for the flight.

—

This time the head thump is so loud Xiao Zhan actually feels the pain. 

“Stop that!”

“I can’t.” Xiao Zhan thumps the back of his head again, eyes squeezed shut, his hand clutching his phone like his life depended on it. “He’s not human.”

“He is definitely human.”

“I really don’t think so.” Xiao Zhan tosses his phone across to the other bed and continues thumping his head less violently.

Zhulong’s paws are not exactly made for phones and he accidentally sends the message Xiao Zhan had typed out which was really nothing more than keyboard smashes when his fingers had skittered across the keyboard when he sees Yibo’s texts.

The rabbit cackles. “Oh dear.”

“That’s all you can say? This is your fault. Also, when the fuck was he blond? That should be illegal.”

“Judging by how young he looks and considering that he’s still practically a baby even now, I’d say he definitely was illegal.”

“FUCK!”

Zhulong snickers. “When?”

Xiao Zhan picks up Yibo’s pillow and screams into it.

—

By the time he reaches the hotel, it is almost midnight. Bailong is snoring contentedly against his chest, having slept the entire short flight and subsequent van ride. 

Leaving his suitcase at the door, he secures the latch, kicks off his shoes and heads straight to bed. He has to be in makeup at 3am and the pick up is scheduled for 2:45. The location is only five minutes away and they need to catch the sunrise. This is why he has to be away for two days for the shoot is scheduled over two mornings just in case they are unable to get footage they need the first morning. He considers not sleeping because once the commercial he is shooting is done, he basically has the afternoon off until the event in the evening. He has worked with this team before and he knows they will not delay anything unnecessarily. As long as he does as he’s asked, it should wrap up fairly quickly and he can sleep the afternoon away. He is still a little high strung from the wire work and there is also the residual rush from teasing Xiao Zhan.

If all goes well in a few hours, he may even be able to fly back that same night after the event. That settles it for Yibo. He has a very good reason to wrap things up quickly.

He lays Bailong gently on the other twin bed before stripping down. Wrinkling his nose at the waft from his teeshirt, he decides to have a quick shower. Yibo upends his Nike bag onto the bed and finds his phone charger and plugs his phone to the bedside socket without turning it on before retrieving his suitcase to unpack his toiletries.

—

The shower wakes him up even further and he decides that he is definitely not going to sleep. He clears his bed of the mess he made, keeping hold of one of the items that had tumbled out - the second part of the novel that the drama is based on. He finished the first part in his down time over the last four days.

Bailong is still asleep and snoring quietly. Yibo flicks the reading lamp on and turns off everything else. He doesn’t bother with the television since he isn’t actually going to sleep. Pulling the towel from around his waist, he drapes it over the back of the chair and climbs into bed naked, relishing the feel of clean sheets. The AC is cool and he feels nice and comfortable. Propping the pillows up behind him, he finally turns his phone on, unplugging it as he hums to himself.

The near constant vibrations make him smile. He has messages from a few people and he addresses those first, scowling when he sees a message from his manager about scheduling an interview for the afternoon.

He replies to that one curtly.

Once done and still frowning, he opens the messages from the final person.

**21:35 jsjajfjdjfnvjnassssssss**

**22:01 That last message was Zhulong not me! It wasn’t a keyboard smash so stop smirking. I can see it from here.**

**22:11 Wang Yibo! Shijie just came by and told me you did three hours of wirework today. Did you fly in just for that and then fly back out? What kind of schedule is this? Wang Yibo! Honestly I think I’m more annoyed at your packed schedule than I am about missing you. I was so sore I couldn’t deal with waiting for the bus so I called a Didi and went back on my own. She said you had fun? That you went all the way up to the ceiling? Wang Yibo are you even human? Seriously? It’s a real question. I squealed like a girl the first time they hoisted me up. It was horrible. And you were laughing? Laughing? You’re mad.**

**22:13 Wait, why didn’t Bailong mention you were back? I would have returned to the torture chamber to see you.**

**22:15 You’re probably on the flight now. I don’t even know where you’re flying to and since you won’t be back for at least two days it could be Japan for all I know. Wang Yibo, where are you?**

**22:37 I shouldn’t tell you this since it would only encourage you, but your photos are safe in a locked password protected folder. LOCKED. Because if anyone saw that blond gif they would arrest me.**

**22:29 How old were you?**

**22:29 Wait don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know.**

**22:30 Zhulong says you look very young.**

**22:30 He called you a baby.**

**22:31 Gods why am I still talking about this. I need to delete my messages before you get them.**

**22:31 Wait, can you delete messages?**

**22:35 You can’t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Yibo bursts out laughing, shoving a pillow over his face though he knows it is futile for Bailong would feel him well before he heard him. He drops the pillow when he feels Bailong hop up over his covered outstretched legs.

“Yibo?”

“Sorry,” he is still chuckling as he hugs the sleepy baby cub. “Why don’t you sleep in timeout? I’ll call you when it’s time to go out. I’m not sleeping so I’ll be fine. If you sleep well I can share some of your energy later.”

The cub crawls up the sheets until he touches the bare skin on Yibo’s chest and nuzzles. “Mmm’kay.” His eyes are shut and he sways a little. It’s been a very long day and he had been propping Yibo up for part of it. “Call if you need me.”

“I will.” He checks the time on his phone. “You should have at least another two and a half hours of clear sleep.” He nuzzles the cub who purrs quietly. “Ninite,” he whispers before he sends the cub into timeout and watches until Bailong settles himself.

He picks up his phone and continues to scroll, sliding lower down in the bed until he is lying in it properly. He is grinning even before he gets to the place he had left off from. Why hadn’t he messaged him before this? The man is hilarious.

**22:47 Are you in the group chat yet? I tried looking for you but I didn’t see you. Our son posted the photos you took of Zhulong and Bailong. Seriously, if that photo gets out we will know it only came from here because he messaged me separately and promised that he wouldn’t be sharing it anywhere else. I had to message the chat and remind everyone that they cannot share it. I really wish I didn’t have to.**

**23:05 Oh apparently a daemon specialist (what the hell is that?) is coming to give the cast a chat. He or she has their own fixed daemon. Some sort of dog. Maybe it’s supposed to be Fairy? Oh! Have you read the books yet? I started on the first one and I’m almost finished. I know we were meant to read them together but maybe we can read it separately and discuss our thoughts on it? My thoughts?**

Yibo snorts before dissolving into low giggles. He had originally been a little miffed about there being nearly no comments on the photos he sent but he thinks this might actually be better. 

He keeps scrolling. 

**23:35 Can you do me a favour? Can you warn me before you send photos like that again. I can’t open them in public.**

“Ah…here they are. Did it take you almost two hours to get over them?” He smirks.

**23:37 Seriously though. They definitely casted you right. I wonder if Haikuan has a complex about it. You’re supposed to be second to him but I don’t think you’re second to anyone. I’m supposed to be fourth but even that’s a laugh. This whole set is filled with beautiful people.**

Yibo wrinkles his nose and speaks out loud in the quiet room. “So…he definitely called me beautiful but he doesn’t think he’s beautiful? Is he blind?”

**23:49 Have you landed yet? How long is this flight?**

**23:57 You really haven’t landed?**

**00:05 Lao Wang are YOU ghosting ME? You probably could since I don’t know where you are but I’m holding your suitcase hostage.**

Yibo shakes his head, smiling at the last message. Which had been sent about twenty minutes ago. He is about to reply when his phone buzzes again.

**00:26 Seriously. Where are you? I should apologise for the solid wall of text messages but our daemons can call each other so I am pretty sure this is not unwanted but I am feeling a little ghosted here, Lao Wang!**

Yibo smirks, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders as if getting ready for a battle before he picks up his phone and replies.

_**00:27 Wow. Lao Xiao really missed me huh?** _

**00:27 Not even going to dignify that with a response.**

_**00:28 Pretty sure that was a response. Are you alone?** _

Xiao Zhan reads the message twice. Three times. He reads it a fourth time. Does he want to answer? Not really, but…

He looks over at Zhulong who is asleep. He scrunches his nose. His body is already reacting and nothing is happening and it’s quite ridiculous. Their daemons seem to be well ahead of whatever is going on but he knows as well as anyone else with a daemon that they cannot form an attachment if its human wasn’t attached to some degree and their daemons are very attached to each other. His own feelings are a little conflicted. He is certain it isn’t love though he definitely likes Yibo. A lot. Maybe a little more than a lot but he doesn’t want to think about it. Not yet. He doesn’t believe in love at first sight. It makes no sense. How can you love someone you don’t even know? Lust at first sight? That makes more sense. He frowns slightly. The way Yibo looks, he must be used to people falling in lust with him. Xiao Zhan does not want to be one of them. Yibo has too much depth to be relegated to just being a beautiful face.

What he definitely is though, is a menace. What kind of question is that to ask someone after midnight? He looks over at the sleeping Zhulong again. He can send him to timeout but does he want to? It might be safer to keep him around. 

Wrinkling his nose, he finally moves to reply.

Zhulong rolls his eyes, safely facing away from Xiao Zhan. Does the man think he cannot feel him? He’s taking himself to timeout thanks.

He disappears from the bed while Xiao Zhan is replying. 

**00:35 Zhulong is here. Why…….?**

_**00:37 Well you did ask for a warning. I hope you’re in our room Lao Xiao…** _

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/120631/120631_original.jpg)

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/120929/120929_original.jpg)

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/121137/121137_original.gif)

“This kid is too much…” he looks up and is startled to find Zhulong missing. He checks in timeout and finds his daemon asleep with a massive DO NOT DISTURB sign blinking over his head. Xiao Zhan laughs helplessly. Even his daemon is out to get him.

To get him what though?

He returns to examine what Yibo has just sent him. He is a little more prepared this time and as he gazes at the three (five) photos and gifs Yibo has sent, he marvels at how every single one of them feels different. The boy never had to worry about being Lan Wangji if he can be this evocative in still photographs and three second gifs. They all convey something different and it is so startling because it is making him wonder which one is the real Yibo. 

Xiao Zhan hopes it is all of them. Yibo is stunning in each and every one of them.

He wrinkles his nose as he saves the photos into his new password protected folder. That blond though. He knows his appeal. He absolutely knows it. If he didn’t have Bailong, Xiao Zhan would have probably wondered why his parents didn’t hide him from the world. Yibo is really too much like that.

He grins, deciding to try and play it off as nothing.

**00:41 Ah…Is that all?**

Yibo nearly spits out the mouthful of water from the bottle he had gotten while waiting for Xiao Zhan to reply, his eyes bugging out.

“Excuse me? You’re really asking for it now.”

He sets his bottle aside and searches through his folders quickly and sends off a quick reply first before he opens another folder.

_**00:42 Wow…** _

Xiao Zhan coos at his phone, his finger stroking the screen before he realises what he’s doing. He chuckles fondly as he stares at the adorable blond Yibo before going back to the other two blond gifs, once again marvelling at the difference.

“If you had a mind to, Yibo-ah…I think you could take over the world.” He chews his bottom lip and goes back to the photographs because blond Yibo is really giving him a bit of a complex. He knows he can google it but he’d rather Yibo tell him how old he was there so he can decide whether to delete the photos or not. In truth, he barely looks any older now so Xiao Zhan _hopes_ he really isn’t illegal. He scrunches his nose again and rolls over on his side. 

Realising he really needs something to hug, he gets out of the bed and takes the pillow Zhulong abandoned before laying back on the bed, his back flush against the cool wall as he hugs the pillow. The fan is on full blast and the whirring is loud in the silent room.

He is situated just right when his phone starts vibrating again.

_**00:45 How much more do you want?** _

Xiao Zhan drops his phone and covers his face with both hands, groaning loudly and really thankful Zhulong isn’t there because…because that kid is a menace. A real menace. While clearly footage from music videos, Xiao Zhan had actually spent over a year avoiding looking up anything to do with Wang Yibo. If he happens to come across it, he allows himself to look, but other than that, he avoids them like the plague. 

“Fuuuuuck!!!” He yells out into the room. And his stupid brain supplies what looks like the new clown Xiao Zhan response. _When?_

He doesn’t swear. Anyone who knows him well enough would know he almost never swears. And even when he does, it’s milder ones like _damn_ or _shit_ but Yibo just makes him want to wring his neck and kiss him breathless both at the same time.

Coughing slightly because even that makes him think of things he shouldn’t be thinking about, he picks up his phone.

His hands are actually shaking and he squints at the screen, as if by narrowing his vision the impact will be lessened. Rather like watching horror movies and you squint to avoid seeing more of the screen.

The clownery of Xiao Zhan continues because all the squinting does is laser focus his vision on Yibo because nothing around him interests him. His subsequent expletive is heartfelt.

“Fuck.” He groans and drops his phone again and covers his face. “When? When? I don’t know when. I don’t want to think about when.” He knows he sounds crazed but there’s no one to hear him. He has to say it out loud because his brain is just screaming _YES_ at the moment and he’s actively trying to drown it out. He picks up the phone again. “Dear god…how do you move like that…”

He cannot believe less than ten minutes has passed. He feels like he is ready for it to be nice and bright outside instead of dark because the darkness is one hundred percent not helping with where his brain is at the moment. His heart feels like it wants to beat right out of his chest. 

Xiao Zhan knows even as he types, that a boy with a lion for a daemon is absolutely not going to be able to take this one lying down. 

**00:55 Really? I can watch your music videos…**

Yibo grins. He had actually been waiting for that response. He’s also pretty fucking sure it does not take ten minutes to reply if he really was unaffected and he is also somewhat certain that Xiao Zhan is pushing on purpose. It is the latter thought that makes him grin. 

“Alright then, gege. You wanna play? Let’s play.”

_**00:56 Ah, Zhan-ge…you really want to play this game with me?** _

Xiao Zhan chokes. The half mast tent in his briefs has completely sprung to life and he is absolutely mortified. Scrambling off Yibo’s bed, he stumbles blindly across to his own, throwing himself facedown on the mattress and screaming into the sheets.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!” He takes a deep breath. “FUCK!” It feels good to swear but it’s not enough. He flips over on his back and scrambles for his phone.

It is still open on the message and his fingers fumble at the sight of the last gif and he drops his phone onto his face. He howls in pain, rubbing his nose and forehead and holding his phone as if it is poisonous.

“Save or delete? Save or delete? Save or delete?” 

He sneaks a look at the screen again and he groans. “Lan Zhan is not supposed to be this forward so early on what the hell are you doing Wang Yibo?” He exhales loudly. “Xiao Zhan you idiot he’s not Lan Zhan and you are not Wei Wuxian. The drama hasn’t even started yet you can’t hide behind that.” His voice has gone a little squeaky and he clears it. He knows he is not the only human with a daemon who talks aloud when alone and without their daemon. The last thing he wants to do is call Zhulong because that damn rabbit will laugh so hard Xiao Zhan would probably yeet him back into timeout. He will be of absolutely no help whatsoever. He has to deal with this alone.

He groans again and covers his face. Who is he kidding? He wants Yibo. He really does. This is going to kill him. He can’t play this. What was he thinking? Yibo literally has all the ammunition in the world while Xiao Zhan’s sole defence is that he’s six years older. Great defence. Well done, old man.

Taking a deep steadying breath, he _saves_ the gifs and types a quick reply.

**01:10 You win.**

Yibo smirks. 

_**01:11 Goodnight Zhan-ge, sWeET dreams.** _

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/123835/123835_original.gif)

Xiao Zhan gets up and throws his phone onto Yibo’s bed and heads to the bathroom. 

Nobody hears his squeal when the ice cold water hits his overheated skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I spent more time finding photos and memes and formatting than actually writing this 14k monster…


	4. Home

Xiao Zhan blinks up at the darkened ceiling. He had woken too early, too used to the morning calls for the last few days that despite the late hour he had gone to bed, he had woken at 5am. 

“Guess I’d make a good Lan after all,” he snickers sleepily to himself, leaning over to pick up his phone. No new messages from Yibo but he hadn't expect any. He replies to a message from his manager about his filming schedules and then sets his alarm for 8am, wanting to see if he can get just a little bit more sleep.

His good intentions go out the window when his finger catches on Yibo’s last message and opens it, reminding him of the new folder on his phone. He can feel his heart rate speeding up already and he has done nothing. Maybe he's unfit. Maybe that's the reason why the slightest thing elevates his heartbeat. He doesn't look in on Zhulong but he feels like perhaps he should call his daemon back.

Yes, he should but since he's alone, maybe he can take another, better, closer look.

There's no harm in that right? Yibo obviously wouldn't have sent them if he hadn't intended to be stared at...

\---

Xiao Zhan is in hell.

A very specific kind of hell.

The kind of hell that they send actors who are nursing what feels like a very illicit boner for a very accessible co-star.

He places his phone down on his chest and stares up at the ceiling. He has no idea how much time has passed. He can feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears in the silence of the room and the only thing louder is the harshness of his breathing. His skin feels too tight, he's too warm, and he is suddenly much too awake to go back to sleep. 

Xiao Zhan takes a deep breath, exhaling as slowly as he can. His pulse is pounding, as if he has just run a marathon.

Running might help, though he really isn't sure how he's going to erase the image from his mind. The worst part of it all is that he is actually not sure if Yibo knew what he sent because if he knew and he sent it anyway then Xiao Zhan...Xiao Zhan...Xiao Zhan needs to sit him down and tell him there are lines.

Lines that they need to talk about first before crossing.

Really.

He groans and covers his face with his forearm. He can practically hear Zhulong. His daemon doesn't have to be with him and he can hear him. 

_Are you having fun clowning yourself?_

"This is fun. This is heaps of fun. So much fun. Fun."

He picks up his phone. The screen is black having already timed out. He enters his code and there it is.

Xiao Zhan squeezes his eyes shut. Nope. Doesn't work.

He bites his lip.

Hard.

And opens his eyes again. 

"Yibo...I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you." He stares at the gif. It just keeps going.

Over and over.

On an endless loop and in his head that loop is looking much too tantalising. It is literally torture. Actual torture.

He is like the average guy. He has needs but they can be ignored. Quite easily most of the time since there is nothing compelling it, not even since he entered the industry and roomed with a bunch of very tactile boys. As the sex of his daemon can attest, he has no preference as to his partner's gender. People fixate on the sex of daemons as a testament to someone's sexual preference but he finds that he prefers to think that it means he is one of the lucky few who follow their hearts. He falls for whoever he falls for, regardless of gender. 

So technically he has no preference.

Well, he thought he didn't.

Right now? Right now his preference leans to the extreme, in favour of a sloe-eyed angel who moves like the devil absolutely hellbent on his destruction and he cannot accept anything less.

He can think of no less. Nothing else. 

It feels almost suffocating how intoxicating just looking at Yibo is, especially in the darkness of the early morning in the privacy of their room. There is something attractive about how sinful it feels. The ache in his groin he refuses to relieve can definitely bear witness to that. 

He will run it off.

He will shower it off.

Taking a deep breath, he takes one last look at his phone and exits out of the folder, putting his phone back on the bedside table and calling the best distraction he has.

"Zhulong."

—

Bailong is looking more regal than usual after being so well-rested. Three hours is usually more than enough but he had gotten a decent five hours and a large feed at the commercial shoot site. The director had liked him on sight the last time since his own mother also had a male lion as a daemon. When he found out he would be working with Wang Yibo again, he had asked his mother’s daemon about what food to get and Bailong had definitely benefited from it. 

Looking absolutely majestic with the very edges of the slowly rising morning sun in profile, the slivers of light illuminating his tawny mane and catching his handsome features, the director had been driven to ask Yibo if it would be okay to include his daemon in the commercial. While not uncommon or unheard of, TVXQ’s Max Changmin’s daemon in its dolphin form having graced most of their water related shoots and Heechul's mostly cat daemon in its various forms has also done so, the request is meant to come in advance and not at the last minute. They literally have to be ready within the next hour or lose the forgiving light they want.

However, Yibo is in a very good mood and after discussing it with Bailong, had agreed readily with one condition. This is a one time deal for that day only and will not be repeated which means they would need to get the shot that morning or not at all. Even if Yibo is meant to be available for reshoots the next morning, Bailong wouldn't be.

The set is currently in an uproar while Yibo and Bailong wait for everyone to get ready. 

"How do you feel about your debut?" Yibo teases his daemon who turns to him, his golden eyes shining.

The elegant majestic creature shrugs delicately, a movement only Yibo catches. "I just have to stand behind you and look like me. It's just still photographs for the promo so it's not a big deal."

Yibo laughs, drawing some eyes his way. “Look at you. A cool veteran huh?"

Breaking his _I'm the King of the Jungle_ persona for a moment, Bailong ducks his head to nuzzle against Yibo, rubbing his much larger nose against a plump cheek since Yibo is still grinning widely. "If you're cool, I'm cool."

The makeup artist sighs when she sees the two of them, looking through her tools and finding everything she will need to touch up Yibo's makeup. 

Closing his eyes and tilting his head back slightly at the show of affection, Yibo is very relaxed until his phone vibrates in his pocket.

Bailong returns to being his regal self while Yibo's grin, which had been pretty wide to begin with, blooms even further.

**05:33 Hope I don't wake you. They let us have a late start today but I'm too used to waking up early so I’m going for a run. Zhulong is being a whiny pest and wanted me to send you this. Well, technically he wanted to send it to Bailong...not sure what's going on with those two. Predator and prey is unnatural isn't it?**

"Bailong."

"Mn." The large predator once again ducks his head and his eyes brighten. "Can gege come visit?"

"Visit?"

Bailong nods. "Yeah, like...here so he can see me debut!" The excited tone is a little strange coming from the adult lion for in this form Bailong mostly grunts or growls warnings, almost never speaking. 

Yibo laughs. "Well, okay but we are quite far from Zhan-ge. Will they be okay that far for a long period?”

"He's always been okay when I call no matter where he is."

"What do you mean? How long have you been calling him out of timeout?"

"Since we met."

"And you didn't tell me?" Yibo twists in his seat to look at his daemon. "You've been meeting Zhulong in secret for a whole year?”

Bailong rubs his nose with his large paw. "It wasn't a secret and I didn't call gege _that_ much. Maybe five times at the most when I was bored because you were busy. He has to be in timeout so it doesn't always match up. I called him in March after you got the part but that was the first time this year."

Yibo is getting a tiny headache. When he gets back, they are sitting both their daemons down together and interrogating them. Today isn't the day though. 

"Does he call you?"

Bailong shakes his head. "The only time he's ever called me was yesterday but he says he can sense when I'm in timeout. I don't have his bunny senses. I never know when he's in timeout."

"Bunny senses?"

"You know like when you were Spiderman but that's spidey senses. Gege is a bunny."

Yibo blinks at his very earnest daemon. "I think maybe I need to limit your television time."

If large predators pouted, it would look like Bailong.

"Are you going to ask or not?" Even his voice sounds pouty. While extremely cute in cub form, Yibo is seeing it for the first time on his adult lion daemon and he's hard pressed not to laugh because it looks extremely strange.

Fiddling with his phone, he chuckles and nods. "Okay, okay, I'll ask. No promises."

"Gege will come."

Yibo is bemused by his daemon’s utter confidence though he is unsure if that confidence is a bleed from himself, but he's not asking anymore questions. He quickly shoots off a message.

_**05:40 I'm awake and at a shoot which is why I had to fly out last night. Actually, technically I didn't sleep since I had to be in hair and makeup at 3am. Anyway, we really need to talk to our daemons when we get back. Remember for both of us please because my memory is absolute shit and I will probably forget. Are you able to be apart from Zhulong physically for say an hour or so? Bailong is "debuting" in his first commercial shoot in about ten minutes and he wants his gege to be here.”** _

Xiao Zhan feels a pang of _something_ deep in his chest on reading the message and he feels a sharp thrill at the words. He will definitely need that run now to work off the excess energy and to consider and dissect the sweetly domestic message, a total opposite to the menace who _dances in boxers_ from last night.

He looks up from his phone to find his incorrigible daemon smirking at him. Xiao Zhan sticks out his tongue at it before he relays the message.

"Do you want to go see Bailong? He's in Yibo's shoot and he wanted you there."

"Tell him I'm in timeout."

Xiao Zhan blinks as his daemon disappears without so much as a goodbye.

**05:43 Zhulong is in timeout. Wanted to get that out first. I'm sending you another text after this.**

Yibo looks up from his phone with a smile for his daemon who had started pacing while waiting for a reply. "He's in timeout."

"Zhulong."

The bunny appears instantly and those who witness it start whispering as the lion nuzzles the small adorable little white rabbit that hugs the intimidating predator’s nose before Yibo's daemon crouches down to allow it to hop onto his back.

\---

_"Whose daemon is that?"_

_"Parents maybe? One of them at least."_

_"Didn't know you could call your parents' daemons."_

_"I didn't even know you could call someone else's daemon."_

_"Wang Yibo's daemon is special isn't it? It can change so maybe this is something only high level daemons can do."_

One person who is definitely familiar with the rabbit has hurried away from the set and is whispering urgently into her phone. “Madam…we have a problem. A really, really, really, big problem but I don't think there's anything we can do about it because the daemon lobby would step in if you tried." She pauses, listening for a moment. "Yes, it's Yibo. His daemon just called Xiao Zhan's and it is at the shoot right now." She winces and pulls the phone away from her ear from the high pitched screeching going on in it until it quietens down slightly. "S-sorry I don't know anything about daemons. I just know that shouldn't have happened. I've never heard of it." She listens for a few more moments and nods as she listens. "Yes, yes, I understand. If anyone asks I'll just say I don't know. Alright, goodbye." She sighs as the person hands up even before she had finished her goodbyes. She stares at the horribly terrifying lion, much preferring the smaller version that had started popping up. What's disconcerting about the whole picture is the loquacious white rabbit sitting quite contentedly just behind its mane and chatting his ear off.

\---

Zhulong grins at Yibo. "Just so you know, whatever you did last night, I didn't hear or see anything. I took myself off to timeout and stayed there until Xiao Zhan called me back about twenty minutes ago."

He leans forward and eyes the daemon cooly, flipping his phone on his thigh head to tail, head to tail. "I didn't do anything. Said good night after sending him some gifs." He smirks. "What he did after that, I don't know."

Zhulong's laughter is loud and infectious, causing Bailong to start chuckling too. 

"If it's anything like that blond gif then I'm really glad I wasn't there. He was definitely having a moment with that one." His smile turns sly. "You knew it would bother him." Zhulong doesn’t tell him he found Xiao Zhan in quite a state when he arrived that morning and it was only because of his intense teasing that the man had texted Yibo in desperation. Denial never helped anyone and Zhulong certainly doesn’t plan on being an enabler of it when the eventual outcome is pretty much inevitable. Why fight fate?

Yibo leans back in his seat and slouches down a little. His legs are wide open and in his made-up state with the clothes he is wearing, he looks like an indolent aristocrat in his tight riding breeches and ruffled collar, eyes heavy with makeup. 

His gaze is dark and intent on the rabbit and a few of those watching, especially those who are more familiar with daemons, are starting to reconsider if the rabbit belongs to his parents. There is something quite predatory in Yibo’s gaze and they can understand why his daemon is a lion.

"It bothers everyone, straight or otherwise," he drawls lowly and his mouth twitches upwards in the corner, and though never turning into a full fledged smirk, the sensual promise of it is there. “I didn’t like the styling at first but it definitely has its uses.” His mouth quirks higher. “I didn’t like it but I worked with it and I don’t really mind it anymore. Did I do a good job?” 

He slow blinks at the daemon who is staring back at him, its head cocked as if in question before he finally responds, his voice reverent.

“You are dangerous.”

“Mn.” Yibo winks at the daemon then, his sultry not-smirk turning into a full blown grin.

Zhulong's cackle attracts more attention but Yibo is distracted by the vibrations on his thigh and he gestures for Bailong to head off to the director who is waving at them. They are taking solo shots first before they need him and Bailong will protect Zhulong if need be though he doubts it. The sass in that rabbit would probably shrivel the gutsiest balls. 

**05:47 Will you get a break later? Remember to hydrate and maybe catch a nap if you can. I know Bailong can feed you energy if you need it. Zhulong can help too if you let him. He does this weird thing with his wing that can even wipe away migraines. It's a bit of a cheat really since no one else has a phoenix but hey, why have a pesky troublesome rabbit monster of a daemon if you can't benefit from his nicer side right? I'll remember for both of us don't worry. I really want to talk to them too. You'll be back home tomorrow night? The room feels really empty now since I'm the only one left. Oh, and Zhulong and I are fine to be apart don't worry. He can sense if I need him whether he's in timeout or not and he can probably stay indefinitely if you're in China. In any case, you can have him for the day if you want since I’ll be stuck in training all day and he’s not very comfortable with the cast yet. I've left him with my parents in Chongqing before when I was filming X-Fire. It wasn't fair for him to be stuck in timeout for so long and I didn't want him onscreen. Wait, are you in China? I still don't know where you are...Wang Yibo!**

Yibo reads over the very long message several times, basking in each word and smiling to himself as he stares at his phone. 

His favourite word?

_Home._

"Wang Laoshi can I fix your makeup? They will need you in a few minutes."

"Mn." He just nods not looking up. He's used to makeup artists who just touch up his makeup without asking so having someone ask is strange. He vaguely wonders what she would have done had he said no. He looks up as she approaches and notes that she is quite young. Maybe that explains it.

Returning his attention to his phone now that he has to go shortly, he types out his message quickly.

_**05:51 I was supposed to have the afternoon off but my manager is trying to move a magazine shoot for next month up since I’m here and it has an interview or two I can’t remember. Depending on what time I finish this morning, I can probably power nap or worst case I’ll see if Zhulong is willing to help. Bailong says Zhulong has bunny senses but he doesn’t…is it an age thing? Or a bunny / phoenix thing? Bailong doesn’t seem perturbed about it in any case. Thanks for letting them hang out. It was quite disturbing having a grown male lion pouting at me. I’ve never seen such a thing ever! And I don’t know if I ever want to again…don’t tell him! Anyway I have to go they’re calling for me. See you at home!** _

Xiao Zhan growls at his phone and shoots a reply back quickly, hoping he’ll catch Yibo before they start.

**05:51 Where are you?!!????**

Yibo laughs as he stands, shaking out his limbs and thanking the make-up artist. He heads towards his daemon currently being photographed. Zhulong is out of the way but only just, keeping close to his friend and watching the goings on intently, his ears pricked and alert.

_**05:52 Come and find me, Zhan-ge.** _

“Wang Yibo!” Xiao Zhan laughs helplessly. He really is a menace. A very gorgeous menace. 

—

He bends over at the waist, pulls out one of his earphones and leans his ass against the wall trying to catch his breath.

Haikuan gets to him a few seconds later, equally puffed and breathing noisily from his mouth. Clapping Xiao Zhan on the back, he squeezes his shoulder lightly.

"Where did you get all the excess energy from? When I messaged the group I didn't think anyone would reply and then now you outrun me?" He laughs and releases Xiao Zhan's shoulder to take a swig from the bottle in his other hand.

Xiao Zhan is still winded so he stays in his position trying to get his breath back. If Zhulong were here he would be fine but he isn't and he doesn't want to call his daemon back either. He hadn't thought twice about it in any case. Besides, Zhulong had basically taken the decision out of his hands anyway by hightailing off to timeout without so much as a goodbye.

Finally feeling alive enough to straighten, he groans when his body protests. He hadn't allowed Zhulong to get rid of all his aches and pains, just the main ones.

"Needed the exercise. Can’t rely on Chidi forever.”

Haikuan chuckles and leans back against the same wall. His sweatband is soaked and his hair is damp and sticking up every which way having tried to ruffle his hair midway through their morning run. 

"Chidi helped with the pain then? I'm still aching from yesterday but all my body parts feel accounted for except maybe my waist. That cinch is brutal and when it yanks…” Haikuan trails off, grimacing at the memory.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. "He just helped with my back and waist. I could barely stand upright yesterday. Jiejie said Yibo was _laughing_ on that damn harness? Was she exaggerating?" 

Haikuan takes another swig of his water and shakes his head. “You should have been there. He did in three hours what all of us were trying to do in twice the time.” His brow furrows slightly as he remembers. “Actually, I take that back. He did _more_ in three hours than we did in six. That guy is a machine. His body control is amazing.”

Disregarding the last part of that because his brain just goes back to earlier that morning and he _refuses_ to acknowledge it. Those gifs can stay locked for awhile. Forcing out a chuckle, he replies regretfully, “I wish I had been there to see that. Maybe he can give me some pointers. I’m practically a geriatric in this cast.”

He straightens and turns to look at his running companion. Xiao Zhan is covered in sweat and wearing a cap and his smile is a little off. 

“You’re hardly old. You’re the same age as Lu-jie and she would probably kill you if you called her old,” he chuckles before looking at Xiao Zhan carefully. “Yibo was looking for you.” If he hadn’t been looking for it, he might have missed it - the sudden brightening of already bright eyes. Xiao Zhan has a boyish face that would likely take him easily to his 40s without anyone really knowing or seeing much difference. The light that entered his eyes though, makes him look even younger. Like a teenager with a serious crush. He chuckles again. “I guess my mother was right. Look to the daemon to find out how the human really feels. My dad’s daemon was looking for cuddles from her long before he asked her out. She said the first time it butted its head against her arm she screamed bloody murder.” Haikuan laughs, looking away and resting back against the wall and sliding down it to rest on the ground. “At least you didn’t scream.”

Xiao Zhan freezes for a few seconds before sighing and sliding down the wall with the other actor. “I was screaming inside, trust me. How many know?”

Haikuan shrugs lightly. They actually have a cast chat without their leads but it is strictly for daemon related questions. He had unequivocally told everyone that if conversations devolve into anything else, he is leaving. Lulu, Ji Li, Zanjin and Yizhou had echoed him. The rest had added their agreement to keep it to daemons only. A handful hadn’t responded but he doesn’t think too much about it. 

“Ji Li and Lu-jie have mothers with daemons so they will probably pick up on it if their parents talk about it. Yizhou-ge seems to know quite a bit but I’m not sure how he came by the knowledge. I didn’t ask and he is older so it might just be experience. Ji Li is only a few months older than Yibo and his mother is a fan of his so he might talk. The rest of us won’t. No one else in the cast has any real experience with daemons.”

“Hence the daemon specialist or whatever. Why couldn’t they just ask us? We are the only ones with the daemons.”

Haikuan smiles. “Yibo is quite intimidating on his own but coupled with his daemon, it’ll be tough for anyone to approach. They should have probably asked you though. Chidi seems quite fond of talking.”

“You can’t even begin to imagine,” Xiao Zhan laughs.

“Speaking of which, where is Chidi?”

“With Yibo,” Xiao Zhan answers easily without thinking, only realising he must have said something he shouldn’t have when he feels the man tense next to him, feeling it from their touching shoulders. “Ah…” He rubs his nose, a habit he had started acquiring to get into character for Wei Wuxian. 

“You guys got close pretty fast, huh? I mean…it’s none of my business and I could see it happening but I didn’t think it would be this fast since he’s been away more than twice as long as he’s been here.”

“We met over a year ago,” Xiao Zhan admits. “Just don’t tell anyone because I need to talk to Yibo about it first. Our daemons can call each other.”

“You don’t think he understands the implications?”

Xiao Zhan lets out a sharp laugh before sobering immediately, shaking his head. “I barely understand the implications myself but our daemons know I’m pretty sure.” 

Haikuan turns to the man he would like to call friend. Studying him for a moment, he decides not to interfere. This is something extraordinary and given the drama and its contents, it can only be good for them. His father works for the Daemon League and he knows far more about daemons than a normal human probably would.

Not all daemons can call another.

Not even those of married humans.

—

Yibo is lounging, once again waiting to be picked up. They have finished shooting the commercial, done in only three takes and it isn’t even 8am yet. The director confirmed that he wouldn’t be needed the next day and he is heading back to the hotel to rest for a bit before the magazine shoot that his manager has managed to arrange and he would need to be there by 11am. He hasn’t told anyone, not even the two daemons that he intends to return that night. He had booked the red eye flight himself with his own money, and hopes that it will be easy to get a Didi since he gets in after midnight. He’ll figure it out. He always has.

His phone buzzes in his hand and his smile is bright in the artificially lit room. 

**07:51 Went for a run with Haikuan. How did the shoot go? Hope Zhulong behaved himself.**

Bailong nudges Zhulong. “Yibo is happy.”

Zhulong glances over at the human smirking at his phone and he snickers softly. “Maybe you should go and tell my stubborn human that it’s a lost cause to resist.”

“Why would he resist?”

“I don’t know. He’s got this thing in his head that he’s too old or something but I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”

Bailong stretches, arching his back with a tiny squeaky growly sound before resting against the white rabbit. “No one can say no to Yibo.” He yawns cutely. “Or they can try I guess. It never works.”

“I can believe that,” Zhulong remarks, staring at the profile of the gorgeous young man snapping a selfie.

_**07:53 Zhan-ge is so cute!!! All sweaty and without makeup and your skin is still like a baby’s. Maybe I should call you baobao. Zhan-ge baobao! Why can I only see one cute bunny toof? Where’s the other one? I wanna see!** _

Xiao Zhan growls at his phone and gets up off the floor. Haikuan had headed off a few minutes ago and they agreed to get breakfast together at 8:30. They need to be at the script reading at 9. He texts back as he walks the familiar path back to their room. 

**07:57 Watch it you brat. And unless you were over 18 when you were blond, I really think you should stop sending those. Now I’m never sending you a selfie again!!!**

Yibo grins, thinking about the selfie he had taken after the first message. 

_**07:58 Never? What if I trade you one to remove the never forever.** _

Xiao Zhan hoots and fist pumps and then looks around to see if anyone caught him before quickly typing a reply, beaming from ear to ear.

“Play it cool, Zhan Zhan,” he mumbles to himself.

**07:59 A new selfie? From right now?**

_**07:59 Took it when I first read your message. I have two witnesses.** _

**08:00 Hmmm…let me think about it. Are you smiling?**

Yibo bursts out laughing, startling his manager who had just entered the room.

“What’s so funny?”

His smile disappears immediately and he pockets his phone and picks up his bag. “Nothing. Is the van here?”

“Yes. Hurry up.” She doesn’t bother asking any further questions because his lion is back to being full-sized and glaring at her. She hides a shiver but she is sure the daemon sensed it anyway which only serves to annoy her. 

“I don’t like her,” Zhulong murmurs against Bailong’s fur, settled quite comfortable atop the other daemon again as they walk out with Yibo. Bailong doesn’t vocalise his reply but Zhulong can feel the low growl vibrating from the younger daemon.

Yibo doesn’t open his phone again until he gets in the van and his expression softens.

**08:02 Not smiling then?**

**08:03 Yibo?**

**08:05 I just got back to our room and I need to shower cos I promised Haikuan that I’d meet him for breakfast in 25mins.**

**08:06 If my phone dies because it got wet from my shower it’s your fault for ghosting me!**

Yibo huffs quietly his smile widening.

“What did he do?” 

Zhulong settles in the seat next to him, looking up expectantly with his large soft brown eyes and Yibo has to resist reaching out and cuddling him.

“He’s taken his phone into the shower.”

“That doesn’t sound wise,” Bailong comments, laying with his head in Yibo’s lap having gone back to being a cub in the privacy of the van. Zhulong bursts out laughing. “Yibo brought his phone into the bathroom in the dorm one time cos he wanted to practice in the shower and he dropped it into a puddle and couldn’t get a new one for weeks. He was very upset.”

“I really don’t think he’s taken his phone into the bathroom to practice with,” Zhulong snorts.

“Oh?” Yibo eyes the bunny interestedly. “What do _you_ think he’s doing?”

Zhulong twitches his nose and wiggles his ears. “Let’s just say he liked the gifs you sent.”

Yibo’s eyes narrow and then widen. Smirking slightly he returns his attention to his phone.

_**08:08 Don’t blame me for things that you do on your own. Zhan-ge…be good!** _

—

Xiao Zhan hears his phone beep while he was rinsing his hair. He commends himself on his self control when he doesn’t immediately grab for it. Instead, he finishes rinsing his hair _thoroughly_ before he sticks his head and arm around the glass panel keeping the rest of the bathroom dry, wiping his hand on the towel his phone is resting on before picking it up.

Expecting a text response, he does not expect what he gets instead, expletives echoing around the small bathroom as he nearly drops his phone. 

It is a full minute later before he is able to move. Gritting his teeth, he puts his phone back carefully and returns to the shower that is still running. His hand moves to twist the knob to cold but he pauses.

“You know what? A man can only take so much provocation. I’m human not a robot.”

The memory of Yibo’s eyes burn straight to his groin…both from his actual memories of the younger man and the hellion in that gif. Licking his bottom lip, he tilts his head back under the spray of almost painfully hot water and fists his already hard cock.

—

Yibo is comfortably ensconced in bed reading the novel when his phone vibrates.

**08:29 Do I look well-rested?**

Yibo narrows his eyes at the photo. Xiao Zhan is handsome as always but his eyes are a little…

_**08:29 What’s wrong? Did something happen? Who do I have to kill?** _

Xiao Zhan is a little taken aback by the speed and contents of the reply. He had honestly just snapped a photo while waiting for Haikuan. His phone beeps again but this time the message is from Haikuan apologising and saying he would be five minutes late and for Xiao Zhan to grab a table.

He replies to that text first, his feet on autopilot as it takes him the familiar way to the cafeteria. He pulls up the photo he just sent to Yibo. He hadn’t done more than a cursory look over it before he had sent it.

Yibo is right. He frowns at his photo and he tries to remember what he had been thinking about when he took the photo.

The answer comes quickly (haha) because over the past almost five days now, in any spare moment, his thoughts always wander to his co-lead. 

At that moment when he had snapped the selfie? He was missing Yibo.

While he has the answer, he now has to deal with the question of whether to tell the other man. 

He pockets his phone as he enters the cafeteria, actually relieved to find it somewhat empty because he is not really up for any conversation. He had seen in the group chat that most of them had gotten an earlier breakfast and then gone out to a convenience store nearby to buy some snacks before they went for their script reading session. The bus would be picking them up at 12pm with no time for lunch which means whoever has snacks tends to be the most popular person for the day. It makes sense that Haikuan and himself had been left out of the plans because they had been the ones to supply the snacks over the last few days. 

His phone buzzes again as he fills a bowl with congee, and he ignores it until he has taken whatever food he wants and finds a secluded seat and table.

—

“Zhulong, can you come here for a second?”

The rabbit stops fighting with the cub immediately, ignoring the happy squeal from the baby lion as he pounces on the remote and starts changing the channel. He lops from the twin bed they are on to the table between the two beds, and then onto Yibo’s bed. Yibo is in bed reading, leaning against the headrest with the covers up to his chest and he hops into his covered lap.

“What’s up?”

Yibo shows him the photograph of his human. 

“Is he okay?”

Zhulong’s nose twitches. At first glance he would say no he isn’t, but he hasn’t felt anything negative from Xiao Zhan. 

The bunny’s nose is twitching so much Yibo really wants to pet him. What would it feel like to have that nose twitching against his skin? Bailong doesn’t twitch like that and it’s just really adorable on the small cute fluffy bunny but he doesn’t say anything, waiting for an answer.

“Ah…” Zhulong chuckles. “Right now he’s feeling something he’s been feeling for the past few days. He’s not sad but he’s not happy either.” He grins up at the frown marring Yibo’s forehead. “I really wouldn’t worry if I were you. No one for anyone to kill.”

“How do you—” Yibo’s question dies as the bunny hops off his lap, going back the same way he came and jumping on Bailong’s swishing tail. Yibo is distracted for a moment as his cub leaps clean off the bed with a loud squeal and lands on his feet as a full size adult. He chuckles as Bailong growls at Zhulong who has fallen backwards on the bed laughing hysterically.

His attention returns to his phone after that. Xiao Zhan still hasn’t replied so Yibo sends another message.

_**08:35 Zhan-ge?** _

—

Xiao Zhan swallows a few spoonfuls of congee first before he digs out his phone to check the messages.

“This kid…I told him to warn me first.”

“Warn you about what?” Haikuan asks, sliding his tray onto the table. “You didn’t get a drink. Do you want some?”

“Green tea.”

“Coming up.” 

Haikuan walks off again and Xiao Zhan returns his attention to his phone.

**08:40 Just feeling too old for this. Everything hurts and no, don’t send Zhulong back. I’m just having breakfast now and then it’s gogogo for the next 12 hours. Also, didn’t I tell you to warn me first??? If you don’t stop this I won’t open your messages in public and you’ll get ghosted until I get home.**

Yibo frowns at the message and his fingers fly over his phone screen.

_**08:41 You’re not old. Zhulong says you’re okay and I believe him. He told me not to worry but I can’t help it. Try and get more sleep?** _

“Everything okay?” 

Xiao Zhan looks up from his phone and straightens, smiling at the handsome man who has just joined him. “Yes, just Yibo being a brat.”

Haikuan smiles and makes a gesture with his finger. “Don’t let me bother you two. You can keep texting, I don’t mind. When is he back?”

“Tomorrow night.” Xiao Zhan sighs forlornly, catches himself doing it, then shoots a glance at Haikuan whose expression is faintly amused. That’s his default expression half the time though so Xiao Zhan narrows his eyes at the younger man and shakes his head. “Don’t look into that.”

Haikuan’s expression changes minutely. “Your daemon is with him. _Maybe you should look closer into that_ ,” he replies very pointedly, his tone serious. 

Xiao Zhan drops his chin and stares at his bowl of cooling congee. “Fair.” 

“I wouldn’t fight it if I were you,” Haikuan’s voice is soft and kind. 

The older man huffs. “It would be a losing battle in any case. Pretty sure I gave up before I even realised I was fighting.” He picks up his phone to the latest photo Yibo sent. “Look at this. Does he want me to get arrested?”

Haikuan’s eyes widen, darting up to Xiao Zhan’s exasperated face. “Oh my…how old was he?”

“I don’t know but I would bet money it’s high school age.”

“Is he trying to remind you that you’re older? Doesn’t seem like him…” Haikuan trails off as Xiao Zhan’s phone vibrates again.

_**08:45 I guess it’s gogogo already huh? Eat properly and stay hydrated. I can help with the wirework when I’m back. I’m talking to the Head Instructor because I think our costumes are going to be a problem and it makes no sense to learn a movement only to need to unlearn it and learn another way because of our robes. Do you snack? I don’t really snack but if you do maybe you should buy some.** _

Xiao Zhan looks up at Haikuan with a tiny frown. “Is he still not in the group chat?”

It is Haikuan’s turn to pull out his phone and he shakes his head. “No. Can you add him?”

**08:47 Yes, we snack. Adding you to the group chat because you would already know that had you been in it.**

Yibo growls at his phone. “I didn’t want to be added, Zhan-ge ugh!” He gives up his book for lost, checking on the two daemons who are back to being friends again, mimicking the dialogue of the cartoon on the television and giggling with each other. Pulling off his teeshirt, he tosses it onto the other bed before sliding down under the covers. He had lost his pants and hoodie before he even climbed into bed. He is suddenly feeling really sleepy. The van won’t be back till half ten to pick them up for the 11am shoot so he can catch a nap maybe. He sets his alarm.

_**08:49 You’re so annoying! Why did you add me? I’m muting it.** _

And he does somewhat vindictively.

He feels a little better.

Yibo pouts at his phone.

**08:50 Don’t be a brat. You’re the lead in this.**

_**08:50 So are you. Why can’t I just get my info from you?** _

**08:51 Wang Yibo! When did I become your assistant?**

Yibo hides his laughter in the sheets. He doesn’t see Bailong and Zhulong look over curiously. 

He is still under the covers when he types out his reply.

_**08:52 I thought you’d know what you were by now. You’re not my assistant, you’re my glucose guardian! WARNING WARNING WARNING** _

Xiao Zhan drops his phone face down and waves his youtiao around angrily like a weapon, making Haikuan laugh.

“What did he do now?”

“What’s a glucose guardian?”

“Glucose. Guardian.” Haikuan repeats slowly. “Sugar daddy?”

Xiao Zhan lets out an inelegant snort. “Please.”

Haikuan shakes his head, chuckling. “I’m serious. Glucose, sugar. Guardian, daddy.”

Xiao Zhan stares at him for a few moments before he groans and picks up his phone again, staring at the, yes, he has decided most definitely of illegal age but since the said person of illegal age is the one sending it and he is now legal does it still make it illegal?

Haikuan has given up eating, a napkin to his mouth as he laughs.

“Did I say that out loud?”

His castmate nods with mirth-filled eyes.

Xiao Zhan scrunches his nose and decides what the hell.

**08:54 Isn’t Lan Zhan supposed to be Wei Ying’s glucose guardian not the other way round?**

_**08:55 I am not Lan Zhan right now.** _

**08:55 I like meatloaf.**

Yibo blinks owlishly at his phone. 

“I feel funny,” Bailong whispers to Zhulong. “Is he okay? His heart is beating like crazy.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Zhulong nudges the cub back towards the tv. “Xiao Zhan is fine. They’re fine.”

“Okay, gege.”

—

Yibo sucks and chews on his lower lip for a full minute before he also decides what the hell.

_**08:58 You win. Here’s my selfie from earlier. Have a good day, Zhan-ge.** _

Xiao Zhan sucks in a sharp breath and his finger caresses his phone screen again, the same as it did last night and then he smiles.

“Everything good now?” Haikuan wonders why he even bothered asking. Xiao Zhan’s smile is blinding.

“Mn. I won.”

—

Despite practically every single eye on him - on them, Yibo eats freely, paying absolutely no attention to anyone except the two furry little things on his table. It is almost two in the afternoon and he still has to sit for the interview and then rush back to the hotel, pack, change and head to the event which has a photoshoot beforehand as well. They wouldn’t even be eating if one of the photographers hadn’t heard his stomach growling embarrassingly and had asked for someone to get some food for them. The daemons had been so good, not even complaining once about it.

“Why didn’t I know his daemon had a cub form?” The PD groans, staring at the adorable bundle of fur currently being fed a piece of meat from its indulgent human. He makes another sound when the white bunny, smaller than it was when it arrived with the full grown male lion, leans against the body of the now baby lion, munching on a crunchy piece of lettuce held in the hand of the same indulgent human feeding his own daemon. Wang Yibo is literally _hand-feeding_ two daemons and there is nothing anyone can do about capturing the image. He points at the white rabbit. “Does anyone know who the rabbit belongs to? Maybe if we get permission to take a few shots of the bunny, we can convince Yibo to let the cub be in it too.” He waves his arms helplessly. “Look at them! Has anyone seen Yibo look like that? He is stunning and I can’t do a damn thing about it,” he puts his hands to his face dramatically.

Everyone around him shake their heads. Their guess is as good as his. They really have no idea who the rabbit belongs to.

“You could ask him. Yibo likes working with you.”

The PD shakes his head. “I can’t. Isn’t there a rule about giving notice before asking for a daemon to be included in a shot?”

“I don’t know,” his colleague chews on the end of her pencil. “He looks quite happy at the moment so it’s worth a try. The worst he can say is no.” She stops to look around. “Where did his manager go? Maybe she can ask for us.”

“Don’t bother. If you want a guaranteed no, then go through her. She’s useless and the kid doesn’t like her. Why couldn’t he have come with his assistant? I know he gets along with her at least.”

The lady rolls her eyes at her sulky colleague. “Stop being such a big baby. If you really want even one shot, go ask him yourself then.”

—

Zhulong’s nose twitches. “We’ve got incoming.”

Yibo stiffens, looking at the white bunny up on his hind legs and then at Bailong who is looking over Yibo’s shoulder curiously.

“It’s just the PD,” Bailong says before lowering his head to nose Yibo’s hand for another piece of meat which his human complies with.

“Yibo?”

The twenty year old turns, looking up at the older man. “Is something wrong?”

The director shakes his head immediately, pulling out a chair. 

Bailong is back to being full-size even before he sits, Yibo’s anxiousness over why the director is there feeding into him. He growls, causing the hair on everyone’s neck who hears it to stand on end. 

“I just wanted to ask you something,” he eyes the lion with a smile but the friendly lion from earlier is gone and all he gets is a steady unwavering golden gaze.

Yibo sweeps his lower lip with his tongue nervously. He wants to go home. The one hour nap he stole wasn’t enough and the lack of sleep is finally getting to him and he is suddenly exhausted. He just wants to go home.

“Hey kid.”

Yibo turns to Zhulong who hops over to the edge of the table and then raises himself on his hind legs and holds its paws open as if asking for a hug. Wordlessly, he scoops the bunny up into his arms and cradles it, feeling better immediately.

Bailong settles down when he feels the burst of warmth in his chest. “Finally,” he murmurs. 

—

“Oh god…” She presses her speed dial, her eyes not leaving Yibo from the staff tent. “Madam I’m really sorry for calling uh…it’s worse. The rabbit daemon just asked to be carried and Yibo picked it up.”

Somewhere in an office in Beijing, Du Hua can feel a really bad headache coming on. “Get on the next plane back. I’m sending Biyu out.”

“Madam?”

“Get back here and do your job with Wenhan and Yixuan. I’ll manage his schedule, Biyu will manage him.”

“She’s an assistant!”

“Assist him then,” Du Hua rolls her eyes and hangs up on the dumb woman. 

—

Yibo’s brow is furrowed. The PD has left and Bailong is busy grooming himself and Zhulong alternately although he’s messing up the rabbit’s fur more than anything but for some odd reason the bunny doesn’t protest the affection.

**_13:57 You there? Something weird just happened._ **

Xiao Zhan is chugging on his green tea, still huffing and puffing. Apparently thanks to Yibo’s bright idea last night, they are now in their robes. He holds his drink with one hand and his phone in the other.

**13:58 I’m here for the next 17 minutes. What’s wrong?**

**_13:58 The magazine PD just asked if he could take a few shots of “You and your daemons.”_ **

Xiao Zhan chokes on his mouthful of green tea. Zhuocheng comes over to helpfully thump him harder than necessary and he shoves the younger man away with a grimace. Wiping away the tears he puts his green tea down and sits before he sends a quick reply back.

**13:59 They think he’s yours?**

Yibo lets out a frustrated huff. “That’s not the point you dolt.” He ignores Zhulong’s snicker and Bailong’s squeaky laughter.

**_14:00 Yes or no? I said I had to think about it. I didn’t want to out you if you didn’t want to be. How many people know he’s yours?_ **

He leans back in his chair and stares at his phone. If he’s being honest, it is a photo of Yibo with the daemons that he wants. He doesn’t mind if people know the rabbit is his daemon though he knows what the implications are. Perhaps they could use this to help the drama. 

Biting his lip, he replies, eyes intent on his phone he doesn’t notice that the room is now filling up fast as everyone returns from the break. He takes a fair few minutes to consider the implications of his actions and he bounces them around in his head until he can bounce no more when they are told they have five minutes left.

**14:13 First off, I can explain where I’m going with this but I don’t have time right now. When you’re back. Trust me? I think it’s okay to take the photos on three conditions. 1) He can take 10 shots but we get all the shots and we choose the ones we want to share. It may be all or one, he has to accept it. 2) Tell him Zhulong is mine. 3) He cannot release the photos until we say he can and it will be 2019 at the earliest because I think it would be a good idea to tie it in with the drama release.**

Yibo stares at his phone and then at Zhulong and Bailong who are both chasing each other under the tables. Zhulong’s whoops and Bailong’s squeals and happy laughter help to bolster him and he takes a deep breath. “I guess we’re doing this.”

Rubbing his forehead, he gets up to find the director to talk over the terms, feeling much too old for his twenty years.

—

Xiao Zhan is too busy the rest of the day to even look at his phone let alone reply. While they had all enjoyed the sleep-in, the lack of proper progress meant that all were willing to put in the extra hours that day. They eat their very late dinner at the facility, squatting or sitting around in small groups. Xiao Zhan finds himself at the edge of the large group with his ‘siblings’ again and he finally, tiredly, asks for his phone from his assistant. Yibo’s assistant disappeared some time in the afternoon and he had wanted to ask after her but got distracted and completely forgot until that moment.

He is half-heartedly feeding himself, groaning when he has to move more than absolutely necessary as he waits for his phone to turn on.

“Where’s Chidi?” Xuan Lu looks at him with concern. “Even if you don’t want him to heal you, he can help to leech some of the pain and exhaustion can’t he?”

“Busy,” Xiao Zhan mumbles as he stuffs cold noodles into his mouth. He doesn’t even know what he’s eating but it doesn’t taste horrible despite being cold and a little gluggy and he’s not a fussy eater so he just keeps eating.

His phone starts vibrating noisily by his foot, rattling on the the varnished wooden floors of the training hall they are in. He doesn’t register what the sound or vibrations are at first until someone yells out.

“Zhan Zhan is so popular!”

“Huh?” He looks up from his noodles confusedly.

Zhuocheng pats his knee and points at his phone still dancing around. “Your phone.”

“Oh.”

“Who is it?” Someone else sings out.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head to try and focus and he finally manages to get his brain to cooperate with his body. He picks up his phone and drops it in the hollow of his lap. 

Xuan Lu eyes the phone curiously and then looks up at the clearly exhausted man. “Why don’t you call Chidi back? He can’t be too busy for you. You’re his priority and you really look like you need a boost. I know we’re done for the day but I don’t think you can even walk right now.”

He shakes his head again, summoning enough strength to smile. “Jie, I’m okay. Nothing a good sleep won’t fix. We’re leaving soon right? I’ll rest when I get home.”

Zhuocheng answers in her stead, also looking concerned. “Bus will be here soon. Finish your dinner.”

Xiao Zhan smiles and nods, eating on autopilot and finishing his noodles dutifully before he returns his attention to his now quiet phone.

Just as Yibo did the previous night, he clears all the other messages first, replying to the odd one or two before he gets to Yibo’s messages.

He looks up. In his exhaustion, the movement is sluggish enough for all the curious gazes to avert their eyes in time. Scanning his fellow castmates, noting that no one is paying any attention to him, he decides maybe it is safe to open his messages here instead of waiting till he returned to their room. He has half a mind to just collapse in bed and shower tomorrow morning. His much too early start to the day on three hours sleep has definitely caught up to him and slapped him around. If he waits till he gets back he may not check his phone again till the morning.

Xiao Zhan returns his attention to his phone, not noticing all the wannabe meerkats around him. The silence and whispered nudging should have clued him in but his efforts are focused solely on his phone.

**_14:23 You better take responsibility for what you’ve just done. And yes, that’s Bailong and his exact reaction when I told him what you did._ **

_**15:13 I survived the interview and they survived the shoot. Well, I think Zhulong nearly gave one of the photographers a heart attack when he did the whole “play dead” in Bailong’s mouth again. The man shrieked so loudly I was torn between laughing and apologising. I apologised.** _

_**15:23 Photos incoming. He agreed to all the conditions but said he’s not actually attached to a particular magazine and whether we are fussed about which magazine in 2019. I told him we’d discuss it then and he agreed. Hope that’s okay. I like the first three shots but especially 03 the most but it seems a little too…I don’t know you look at it and we can talk about it when I’m back home.** _

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Xiao Zhan can’t help it. He is stroking the screen with his finger again. 

He does not notice Zhuocheng getting a small smack from Xuan Lu for trying to peer over his shoulder nor does he notice Haikuan moving so he becomes a physical barrier between him and the rest of the rubbernecking cast. Xiao Zhan has a privacy screen on his phone so unless you were directly behind him, you can barely see anything.

His finger flips back and forth through all the ten photos. The photographer had really maximised the shots he got because all are different except for the first three which are obviously candids.

The first has Yibo cradling Zhulong in the crook of one arm while the other is hugging Bailong to his chest, his large hand entirely encompassing the cub’s head so only his body can be seen. Zhulong’s expression makes Xiao Zhan wonder if he has the same look on his face when he looks at Yibo. His bratty daemon is looking as if Yibo just hung the stars or something.

The second has Yibo sucking on a lollipop, mouth pouty and red, stained by the sweet. He is holding a piece of meat out to Bailong who is sitting on the table, while Zhulong is unashamedly enjoying lap time or something while being hand fed a piece of celery. His daemon looks like he just won the lottery.

“That little shit,” Xiao Zhan mumbles under his breath. No one needs to know he’d swap places with his daemon in a heartbeat.

The third is in the dressing room and Yibo is half undressed and staring down at the two daemons. Bailong and Zhulong appear smaller than they were in the earlier photos but Yibo is wearing the same clothes except his shirt is completely unbuttoned and one side is caught on that damnable nipple piercing that Xiao Zhan had almost forgotten about. 

Xiao Zhan definitely spends too long staring at the piercing which wasn’t the point of the shot. His throat is dry and he blindly grabs for his bottle of green tea which his assistant had thankfully topped up. He takes a swig without taking his eyes off the photo.

Zhuocheng does manage to catch a glimpse of the screen since Xiao Zhan had to lift his phone up in order to be able to see it as he drank and his eyes nearly bug out.

His expression must have given something away because nearly everyone watching scrambles for their phones.

“What is it?” Xuan Lu whispers, unable to help herself. The clear shock on Zhuocheng’s face coupled with the strangely hypnotised expression on Xiao Zhan’s is making her curiosity go wild.

Zhuocheng swallows and leans in to whisper to his onscreen sister. “Chidi is with Yibo.”

“What?!”

Xiao Zhan looks up. “Jie?”

She smiles faintly. “Nothing, Zhan Zhan. Nothing, nothing.”

He stares at her for a beat longer before shrugging and returning his attention to his phone.

Both Bailong and Zhulong are on their hind legs, their front paws resting against Yibo’s bare torso as they look up at him, likely talking nineteen to the dozen. Xiao Zhan only has the mirror as a guide to what is going on and though he can only see the backs of their daemons, he can see Yibo’s face. His expression is so soft as he gazes down at both daemons that Xiao Zhan feels as if his heart is about to beat right out of his chest. To add to it all, Yibo’s hand is mid-stroke down Zhulong’s head, his daemon’s ears trapped under Yibo’s large hand. There is absolutely no way this photo is going to be shared. He wants to make it his lock screen but that would mean other people can see it and this is definitely not for public viewing. 

It exposes how Yibo feels very clearly. He is looking at and treating Zhulong as if he is his. 

And Xiao Zhan is suddenly annoyed that the photographer caught this and not him. This is too intimate. Too private. He shouldn’t have agreed to this. Yibo with their daemons is for him and him only. Xiao Zhan is not there and he is quite frankly, pissed about it. 

He makes a faint growling sound at the back of his throat that has Haikuan and Lulu staring at him. Zhuocheng is busy replying to the sudden flurry of messages mostly with a text version of a Nie Huaisang impression of _I don’t know, I don’t know, I really don’t know!_

—

Zhulong raises his head. 

Yibo is already sound asleep and they are waiting for the flight to take off. The two daemons are tucked into his hoodie which he has left unzipped halfway and one of the flight attendants nearly drops her tray when she sees his little head popping out, nose twitching, looking quite serious for a wee bunny.

“What’s wrong?” Bailong asks, stretching as far as he can with a squeaky sigh in the enclosed space. He is a little uncomfortable because Yibo is still wearing the suit he had been in at the event, rushing off to the airport the second he could. He had thrown on an oversized hoodie to hide his clothes but that’s about it. His assistant is on the plane but in another seat since she had to make a last minute booking when she found out Yibo was returning that very night.

“Xiao Zhan is angry, but…it feels strange. The same amount of anger is directed both outward and inward.”

“You wanna go? I can tell Yibo when he wakes up.”

“I’ll go if he calls.”

“Okay, gege.”

—

The rest of the shots are a lot more fun and Xiao Zhan can see that the daemons are genuinely enjoying themselves, playing around as they normally do. He has a feeling the photographer had taken the candid shots for them and the other seven in such a way that it would be difficult for them to say no to to the photos being published. While staged, they are still free for the subjects to interpret and Xiao Zhan smiles at 09 which has Zhulong looking absolutely stunned at something Yibo must have just said. Bailong is an adult and his mouth is open like he is roaring but Xiao Zhan is quite sure the daemon is laughing if Yibo’s shit-eating grin is anything to go by. He wants to know the story behind that shot because as he very well knows, it isn’t easy to catch Zhulong by surprise to the point where he has no response.

Hell, he wants to know the story behind every shot.

_He should have been there._

He shakes himself out of it again and finally moves on to the next message.

_**17:23 Trying to wrangle two excitable daemons and get ready at the same time is more difficult that I thought. Gosh…next time we do this, please let it be you. Zhulong won’t stop talking and Bailong is just so chatty even Biyu is confused. Oh, Biyu is here though I’m not sure what Yuehua is doing but I don’t care. Biyu just said I’ll get my schedule emailed to me every Monday morning and if there are any changes she will let me know. I’m so tired, Zhan-ge. I just want to go home.** _

“Ah…why didn’t you let them help you?” He whispers softly, tracing Yibo’s face with a fingertip. He’s actually unsure if the photo is from today but Yibo is too adorable for words. He wants to bite his nose. Xiao Zhan immediately scrunches his own nose at the thought. “Get a hold of yourself,” he mutters abruptly. 

Xuan Lu and Haikuan are used to this for their parents with daemons also tend to talk to themselves when their daemons aren’t around but Zhuocheng, Guo Cheng and Fanxing are all looking a little bewildered having heard the man. 

They are all called to the bus just then. Haikuan and Xuan Lu both make sure that the very distracted Xiao Zhan is caught between them and they manoeuvre him to sit with them at the back of the bus. The boys who were already there give up their seats immediately at Lulu’s silent bidding. 

Xiao Zhan is oblivious to the slight manhandling, just following where he is directed, still too caught up in his phone and the messages. His assistant packs up after him with an amused sigh. She and Biyu had become quick friends and it looks like they will be probably be seeing more of each other. 

_**19:23 Wow no reply still? Are you really ghosting me or are you busy?** _

“Why do you like 23 so much? I’m sure you’ve sent me messages at that exact minute but a different hour…” Xiao Zhan trails off and shrugs to himself. He looks out for a moment as the bus turns out of the carpark for the ride back to their accommodation. The streetlights are bright but he feels a lot more refreshed compared to earlier.

_**20:23 Biyu says you have your phone off. She’s friends with your assistant.** _

_**20:32 I’m so bored!!!!!!!! I had to send Zhulong and Bailong to timeout and they seem quite happy. They’re watching Spongebob. In timeout. Like…what even is that????? Sometimes I wonder about how much we don’t know about daemons.** _

_**20:45 I’ve been trying to will you to come back online but clearly whatever is going on with our daemons doesn’t extend to us.** _

“You’re so weird,” Xiao Zhan’s voice is helplessly fond. 

He misses Xuan Lu and Haikuan exchanging smiles.

_**21:23 Do you want photos? Do you deserve photos after abandoning me like this?** _

Xiao Zhan makes a scoffing sound. “As if you’ll be able to resist drowning me with you. Also, seriously what’s with the 23 minute mark?” He pauses to look over their messages to count. “Six times today! Six times is not a coincidence. What is 23, my little friend?”

“What 23?” Haikuan asks curiously. He’s been trying to ignore Xiao Zhan’s noises and huffs and random comments but this isn’t the first time he’s made a comment about the number.

“Yibo. He keeps sending me messages and six of them are at the 23 minute mark in the hour. It’s really strange.”

“Ah.”

“Do you know what it means?” 

Xiao Zhan turns to the younger man who shakes his head at him with a smile.

“No, sorry. Why don’t you ask him?”

“Oh you can bet I will.”

Xuan Lu is silent, listening to the conversation. When Xiao Zhan returns to his phone she nudges Haikuan and he bends to give her his ear.

“I think you were right about why Yibo wanted to be Lan Wangji.”

“Really? I was just sort of half joking especially when he really has the most to lose.”

“23 can mean ‘love Zhan’. I’m sure Zhan Zhan is right and it’s not a coincidence. Yibo has been saying love Zhan all day.” She pauses when Haikuan doesn’t seem as surprised as she feels. “You knew?” There’s no accusation in her voice.

Haikuan turns and studies Xuan Lu. He has watched her with Xiao Zhan and unlike the other girl Meng Ziyi whose intentions have been questionable although he figures it is more the production’s fault than her own, he doesn’t think Lu-jie has even the slightest romantic interest in Xiao Zhan. Based on her teasing of him the past few days, he is also sure that she genuinely cares about Xiao Zhan and Yibo by extension.

“Chidi is with Yibo.”

Xuan Lu bites her lip for a moment before replying. “I know. Zhuocheng saw a photo on his phone. He won’t say anything don’t worry.”

“Do you know what it means?”

She shakes her head. “Not specifically except…they’re really close aren’t they?”

“They haven’t figured it out yet. How about we help give them some space?”

“From the cast?”

“Mn,” Haikuan replies. “I hope he tells Yibo about what happened with Meng Ziyi though. I really don’t want to be around if Yibo finds out by accident.”

“That was a dumb idea to begin with. Whoever leaked it, I’m glad.”

“It was definitely a member of the staff.”

“Yes. I’d buy them lunch if I knew who it was.”

Haikuan chuckles. “Did you read the novel?”

“Before I even knew they were making a drama,” Xuan Lu admits with a quiet laugh. “Yes, I’m a shipper now don’t tell anyone. I’ll protect them as much as I can.”

“Same here.”

“Older siblings unite!”

Haikuan laughs quietly.

— 

_**21:32 Can’t believe I’m rewarding you for bad behaviour. First and last time, Zhan-ge!!! You owe me a lot. Here are a couple of shots from the magazine shoot. It’s meant for the May edition.** _

“How do you look so good in strange outfits?” Xiao Zhan murmurs to himself.

_**21:35 And these are the photos taken before this event. I’m still wearing the suit and I get to take it back though I’m not sure when I’d have the time or occasion to wear this again. Any suggestions?** _

Xiao Zhan gasps loud enough for him to be called out on it this time. Various voices from the tired occupants of the bus asking him to share with the class.

“Okay, okay I’ll send it to the group chat. If Yibo kills me, you’re all accessories to murder.”

Xiao Zhan is extremely amused to see how everyone, including Haikuan and Lulu next to him have taken out their phones too. He didn’t realise how involved the entire cast was with them though it is understandable in a way especially after the PDs had briefly had cold feet on the second day of training and wanted to see if a love triangle would work with one of the female actors. The scene they had tried had been leaked the very next day and Xiao Zhan wonders if Yibo had heard about it. 

**Xiao Zhan 22:55 I say again, I’m doing this under duress and if Yibo kills me, you’re all at fault.**

The bus is suddenly noisy with hoots and wolf whistles and for some reason, their reactions make Xiao Zhan grin.

“Zhan Zhan, if he’s the groom then you’re the bride?”

“Why aren’t you there he looks so lonely.”

“How is he so pretty and handsome at the same time? It’s quite ridiculous.”

“Why is it ridiculous?”

“He’s wearing a safety pin. Was that a personal choice?”

“It definitely doesn’t go with the suit.”

“He’s edgy. He looks fucking good, gosh. If I swung that way…”

“Oei! You want Zhan Zhan to go all Yiling Laozu on you then keep talking.”

“Aiya two beautiful men together, this drama is going to be fiery.”

“Hey, Zhan Zhan so are you the bride or the groom?”

Xiao Zhan has no idea who asked that except that it came from somewhere near the front of the bus.

“We’re both men so both grooms!” He shouts back and then returns to his phone as good natured laughter echoes around him. 

“Was that an admission?”

“Hey invite us to the wedding!”

“They should end this drama properly. WangXian married and have a son!”

“Hear hear!”

He ignores the mini furore he created and returns to a message Yibo had sent with the photos.

_**21:35 And these are the photos taken before this event. I’m still wearing the suit and I get to take it back though I’m not sure when I’d have the time or occasion to wear this again. Any suggestions?** _

“No…he can’t be asking what it looks like he’s asking…” Xiao Zhan shakes his head. All the talk about grooms is doing his head in and there is no Zhulong to ground him.

He moves on to the last message.

_**21:37 The shoot was for Brides magazine. They kept asking me what my ideal girl was and I was tempted to call Bailong in and point at him and tell them my ideal PERSON is someone that Bailong approves of. Someone did make a crack about me being prettier than all the brides though. Am I pretty, Zhan-ge?** _

“Wang Yibo, no more blond!!!”

There is a sudden silence at Xiao Zhan’s loud and angsty outburst before Ji Li bursts out laughing. Howling more like it before quite a few others join in.

“I guess he’s introduced you to the white peony then?”

“How old was he?”

Ji Li smirks. “Do you really want to know?”

Xiao Zhan grimaces. “Yes and no, but more yes than no so I can permanently ban him from sending me more.”

“Good luck with that. Seventeen.”

Xiao Zhan’s face palms himself so hard he yelps. 

—

“I can stay at training the rest of the time?” Yibo asks Biyu. 

She smiles fondly at the man sprawled in the backseat, slouching so low he is almost off the seat itself. He is slurring and has his cap over his face so his voice is muffled but she understands him nonetheless. The daemons had been sent to timeout to rest so they had called an ordinary Didi to take them back to the accommodation. 

“So far, yes. Your TTXS shoot should cover you for the two weeks. You have three days of actual filming before you have to go for four days though.”

“Are you my manager now? Did you get promoted and not tell me?”

“I can rearrange your schedules if needed but within reason.”

Yibo huffs behind his cap and doesn’t say anything more.

—

It is actually testament to how exhausted Yibo is that he doesn’t remember to check his phone until they are pulling up at the building. He murmurs his thanks to Biyu and tells her he won’t need her till after lunch and to have a sleep in. Biyu is amused to see that he has already stumbled off in the general direction of his room before she can even thank him. She hopes he remembers that the bus is fetching them all at nine though even if he doesn’t, he has a roommate who will.

He has a few messages including notifications from the GC that he ignores. Unlike the previous night, he only opens messages from one person and there is only one but he can’t complain because he’s standing at their door.

**23:21 I’m sorry my reply is so late. Yeah I did switch off my phone and because of my rather loud reaction to your photos on the bus on the way back, I had to share one in the GC otherwise they would likely hound me to death or not let me off the bus which would be as good as death really. As an apology, you get to name whatever punishment you want because I really shouldn’t have done it but I am a weak man and you’re too handsome not to share a tiny sliver with the masses. Yes, you’re very pretty you wretch but you’re also handsome and I like that you can be both. Just be whatever you prefer. You probably have more say over your styling now anyway. Have I complimented you enough? I’m also including an apology selfie. I took two earlier but only shared one. See how good I am to you? Hang in there. I know you’ll be alright. See you when you get home and I’ll reply to the rest in person. I’m so tired I’m actually worried I might fall asleep in the bathroom…**

Yibo’s mouth crooks into a smile. He checks the time and it is just after one which means Xiao Zhan should be dead asleep. He can feel the cold air wafting from under the door. Much colder than where he is anyway. Testing the door, he finds it unlocked and he frowns immediately. 

Entering and then locking the door, he leaves his things across the door before walking down the short hallway. The bathroom lights are on but he has a feeling it’s more out of exhaustion than care for Yibo because Xiao Zhan doesn’t know that Yibo is returning that night. The room is fucking freezing but he will deal with it. 

He frowns when his eyes meet an empty bed. 

The frown disappears when he finds where the occupant actually is.

“Are you kidding me?” He asks the cold room. Xiao Zhan is huddled under the covers on his bed. His arm is dangling off the side and all it would take is one tiny push and he would probably go rolling out of bed quite easily. 

Yibo stares at him for a few more seconds before shaking his head and turning to head to the bathroom.

—

Xiao Zhan hasn’t budged in the fifteen minutes he had taken to brush his teeth and have a quick shower to wash off his makeup and the flight in general. He hadn’t asked Bailong or Zhulong to help him that day so he is quite ready to fall flat on his face. The nap on the flight seems to have made him more tired than anything.

He considers his choices and decides with a regretful sigh to pick the empty bed because flirtatious text messages aside and their daemons being actual demons, he doesn’t think Xiao Zhan would want an extra bedfellow without talking about it first. He definitely seems like the talking type if Zhulong is anything to go by. Yibo doesn’t mind. He’s waited long enough he can wait a little longer. He is home and that itself has settled a warm feeling of contentment in his chest that he really doesn’t need anything more for now.

The pillow is missing though but that doesn’t really bother Yibo. He has just sat down on Xiao Zhan’s bed when the sleeping man turns just then, inward towards the wall and his hand and forearm makes contact and he flinches violently in his sleep and nearly rolls himself out of the bed. Yibo huffs out a quiet chuckle, changing his mind in that moment and gets up to turn the thermostat to a more reasonable 23 Celsius rather than the ridiculous 19 Celsius it is currently on. He then rummages in his suitcase for a clean hoodie and puts it on ready for battle. He even puts the hood up just to be safe. 

He will sacrifice himself and protect Xiao Zhan from _The Wall_. 

Yibo climbs into his own bed, pressed against the wall and he shivers as the chill seeps through his hoodie and he cannot imagine what it would be like to touch it with bare skin. He mutters to himself about troublesome geges as he tries to situate himself properly but he says it all with a soft smile. 

When he finally manages to squeeze in between the lump that is Xiao Zhan and the freezing wall, he is patting himself on the back for a job well done when he suddenly finds himself with an armful of very warm, fragrant, half naked male.

Actually, mostly naked. Xiao Zhan is only wearing briefs.

“You’re home.”

Yibo is sure Xiao Zhan is sleep talking and when he runs his fingers through the man’s soft hair, Xiao Zhan doesn’t move, his breath coming slow and even. Despite his relatively thick sweat pants and hoodie, he can feel every single soft curve and line of Xiao Zhan’s body against his like a lit flame and he can’t decide if he’s in heaven or hell.

Ever practical, he decides to leave it for the morning. He is too tired to think about it now. Wrapping his arms around the older man who is already treating him like his own personal bolster, he nuzzles their noses together and closes his eyes.

He is asleep within a minute, breathing in Xiao Zhan.

Yibo is finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yibo is just tormenting him with the blond btw. He knows the effect it had and he's just being...difficult lol. Or easy idk anymore gosh help.


	5. Pillow Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is over 17k words…I definitely clowned myself since it’s 10k longer than the original chapter (of which 3k was moved to the next chapter so technically it’s 4x longer than the original).

It only takes two beeps for Xiao Zhan to wake. Groaning as his body protests _any_ movement, in his sleepy haze he doesn’t even give it a second thought, calling his daemon to him immediately in a hoarse whisper. His limbs feel sluggish and heavy and the alarm is killed just as Zhulong appears on the empty bed opposite him.

“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” Zhulong scolds, taking in the pathetic state his human is in. His voice is hushed in the darkened room whose sole light source still comes from the slightly ajar bathroom for the skies are still dark outside. All he gets is an answering groan as Xiao Zhan presses his face into his pillow. His arm is dangling off the side of the bed and it is turned out towards Zhulong, silently asking. “You stupid man.” The rabbit daemon hops off the bed and nuzzles into the hand immediately. 

Tears spring into Xiao Zhan’s eyes when he feels his daemon in his hand. He doesn’t have any strength to lift him up. Everything hurts and he can’t even move his legs. They feel leaden and after struggling for a few seconds earlier, he just gives up. He doesn’t really care if it’s cheating, they still have more training that day and in the state he’s in, he’ll be lucky to even make it to breakfast without a wheelchair. He knows he should have called Zhulong back but at least he is surrounded by friends and familiar faces. Yibo is alone out there somewhere. 

He can hear Zhulong talking but can’t quite focus due to all his aches and pains and his mind wanders to Yibo, wishing he was there.

It takes him a full minute to register that he is being licked by a tiny little cub.

“Yibo?” 

Zhulong rolls his eyes at the intense flare of hope he feels from his human. He watches the other human in the bed pressing himself against the wall, eyes wide in the darkness, trained on the back of Xiao Zhan’s head.

The cub stops and grins cutely at the man blinking blearily at him. “Close enough. Bailong. Gege said he can’t comfort you while he heals you so he called me.”

“Oh…” Xiao Zhan’s barely recognises his own voice. “Is…is Yibo okay?” He shuffles back a little to make more room for the cub who nuzzles under his chin and what do you know? He feels better already, the warmth in his chest spreading out to his limbs and he feels a little more alive than when he first woke up. He wonders if this is how Wei Wuxian felt when he first woke up compared to the moment he laid eyes on Lan Zhan again. Whatever it is, he can definitely use it for the drama regardless because he is certain the feeling would not be dissimilar.

“I’d say Yibo is more than okay,” Zhulong murmurs from his perch on the table between the twin beds. His eyes are looking over Xiao Zhan’s head meeting Yibo’s gaze who smiles faintly and puts a finger to his lips. 

Yibo is on his side, head propped up on a fist and pressed back fully against the wall. Xiao Zhan had woken up unable to move his limbs primarily because Yibo’s leg had been thrown over his hip. Unused to being so fully dressed in bed and with the room being a more reasonable temperature, he had kicked off the covers and Xiao Zhan still has no idea that he is not alone in the bed. He is quite firmly ensconced in the voluminous cushiony comforter that separates their bodies from touching.

“Can I get to your heart?” Bailong asks, nuzzling against Xiao Zhan’s throat a little more. He can feel the happiness from his own human and he feeds it into Zhulong’s human.

Xiao Zhan looks up at his phoenix daemon. “Is this alright?”

“I called him specifically for this purpose so what do you think? ” Zhulong asks before looking away to ostensibly check on a wing. 

Xiao Zhan knows his daemon’s grumpy tone is very much due so he doesn’t remark on it. He tugs the cub out gently from under his chin and looks at its small cute little face. He decides to give it a try since there’s no one watching and he leans in to nuzzle its nose.

Bailong giggles and licks Xiao Zhan’s nose when he pulls away, making him chuckle warmly, feeling just a little bit more himself. “Will Yibo be okay with this?”

The cub cocks its head up at the man and innocently confesses. “Whatever comfort I’m giving you is from Yibo and how he feels about you. You can get it from him too, I just have a more direct access because of gege.”

Zhulong cackles at the stricken expression on Yibo’s face. 

His laughter gets louder when Yibo’s expression morphs and he narrows his eyes at the annoying bird. No wonder Xiao Zhan gets irritated with him. He also needs to have some words with his daemon. You don’t go blurting that kind of thing out!

Xiao Zhan is blushing and unable to hide it, yet still blissfully unaware of the other person in bed with him.

Ducking his head, he nods shyly at the lovely whelp. “Okay…okay my heart.”

Zhulong rolls his eyes and flaps his wings, taking to the air as Bailong burrows happily against Xiao Zhan’s bare chest, nuzzling at the spot exactly over his heart. The beats are rapid, much more than Yibo’s is presently and Bailong works to get them both beating in sync, calming Xiao Zhan to match Yibo’s heartbeat.

Xiao Zhan closes his eyes and he feels Zhulong’s soft feathered wing covering him. 

He does not notice the other wing smacking Yibo on the head nor does he catch the phoenix glaring at the bemused man to get his head down and under the wing too. 

Both humans are exhausted though Xiao Zhan is definitely the worse of the two. However Zhulong hadn’t realised how tired Yibo had been until he saw it in his face that morning so he goes ahead to heal both. Yibo can accept it whether he likes it or not. Both humans can be ridiculously stubborn and Zhulong is not having any of it that morning. It’s shameful really for daemons as powerful as himself and Bailong to allow their humans to get to this state. 

Yibo slides back down onto the pillow, his arm moving of its own accord to wrap around the puffy lump in bed with him. The comforter is so high up that it is actually over Xiao Zhan’s head and he just nuzzles into it and closes his eyes.

—

“They’re asleep,” Bailong whispers unnecessarily to his bunny companion. “Why did Xiao Zhan’s alarm go off so early?”

“He probably forgot his own schedule. Is Biyu afraid of you?”

Bailong shakes his head. “No. The other lady is but not Biyu. She always gets extra meat when she gets food for Yibo. I like her. I think she’s staying in the same room as Da-Xia.”

“Let’s find them and check their schedules so we know what time to wake them.”

“Mn,” Bailong agrees and both daemons disappear from the room, leaving the quietly snoring humans healed and dead asleep.

—

The sun is shining into the room when Yibo wakes up. He is feeling quite warm and sweaty and he struggles for a moment before realising why he’s so warm. Xiao Zhan is back to using him as a bolster. He is pinned against the wall by the older man who must have turned over in his sleep. Xiao Zhan is snoring quietly against the collar of his hoodie, his leg and arm holding Yibo in place. 

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Yibo moves as slowly as he can in order not to disturb the other man but it was in vain, Xiao Zhan grumbles against his collar before he turns away, taking the comforter with him and bunching it up before hugging it, muttering something or other that Yibo cannot quite make out.

Yibo pinches the bridge of his nose and clenches his eyes shut and prays for patience. What he felt in the darkness of the night is nothing compared to the light of day. Xiao Zhan really is only wearing briefs and his entire body from the back of his neck down to his ankles are exposed to Yibo’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opens his eyes, landing immediately on the dark green briefs hugging a very curvy ass.

“You had to wear green,” Yibo grumbles quietly but his eyes linger very impolitely until his phone vibrates in the pocket of his sweat pants and he wriggles to free it from under him. 

There is a message in the main GC with the PDs informing them that they will be testing some night shots due to the forecasted clear skies so everything has been pushed and they will be picked up at 1pm instead of 9am. However, they will likely be working till after midnight.

Yibo doesn’t reply, used to such things. He idly starts checking his other messages as Xiao Zhan stirs further next to him. He keeps his eyes on his phone because there’s just too much skin for him to be able to remain polite, and he waits quietly for Xiao Zhan to wake up properly.

—

Xiao Zhan feels like he got hit by a bus, yet not. It is quite a strange feeling. There is a rawness to his body that tells him that he probably pushed it to its limit the previous day but while he feels a little wrung out, the aches and pains are gone. He vaguely remembers his daemons being there in the darkness of pre-dawn and...wait. 

Daemon. 

Singular. 

Not _daemons_.

He shakes his head trying to clear the residual cobwebs. There were definitely two of them, but only one is his. He hugs the fluffy duvet, remembering the soft cuddly extremely clingy little cub and the joy he feels at the memory is so strong he wonders if Zhulong can feel it, wherever he is.

Not quite wanting to call his daemon just yet because knowing Zhulong, he will just tease the daylights out of him, he leans over to check his phone, turning the ringer on as he does, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his other hand. 

There are quite a few messages and he deals with all the non-important ones first before he opens Yibo's. There is only one message and he pouts at his phone.

_**01:23 Sleep well, Zhan-ge...** _

"23 again. How many times is that? 7? 8? Don't tease if you can't actually give me a hug," Xiao Zhan grumbles quietly. He almost drops his phone when it beeps suddenly.

_**07:57 Mmmm...since you wanted a hug, does this meme mean I get to have you for breakfast?** _

Xiao Zhan nearly drops his phone. First at the text itself, then the rather scary looking kitten. He reads the message again. 

“Do you have a video cam rigged in this room or something?” He glances up and around though it is a futile gesture since he is somewhat blind without his contacts or glasses and he doesn’t actually think Yibo has done any such thing.

Yibo is struggling not to laugh. It takes all his willpower not to move and considering the cupcake in front of him, he really should get some kind of prize for his restraint.

_**07:59 Yes or no to being breakfast?** _

"Wang Yibo!!!" Xiao Zhan's voice is loud in the empty room and his groan is heartfelt. "Are you even human? Are you sure you're not the lion and Bailong is the human? I feel like prey." He looks at his phone again and bangs the screen on his forehead twice. The third time would have had Yibo snatching his phone away and giving himself away, but he stops just in time. "Wang Yibo please...surely it's too early to torture your poor gege?" He takes one last look at his phone and then puts it face down on the table. "You can wait there for a few minutes while I think of a suitable reply to that provocation. I guess I should be thankful you're not blond at least." 

He burrows himself under the covers making weird noises that sound suspiciously like _yes_ or no on repeat. 

Yibo pockets his phone to free his hands and he waits for the right time to announce his presence.

Still burrowed, Xiao Zhan turns around in the twin bed and crashes into something hard yet soft and he screams.

Zhulong and Bailong reappear in the room in seconds, Zhulong hearing the distress, Bailong following his gege. They watch for a few seconds before the white bunny turns to the baby lion.

"I don't think they need us. What do you think?"

"I think we should go for a walk until one or both call us."

"Good idea."

"I always have good ideas, gege."

Zhulong's laughter is an echo in the room and Xiao Zhan finally stops struggling.

"Are you done now?" Yibo asks, eyebrows raised, his hand over Xiao Zhan's mouth. 

Eyes wide with shock, Xiao Zhan nods mutely. He watches Yibo gazing down at him intently before his eyes soften and the corner of his mouth twitches and tugs up into a smile. 

Yibo pulls his hand away and wraps his arm around the older man and the fluffy duvet that is now bunched up behind Xiao Zhan. His bare hand touches no skin. 

"What the fuck, Yibo?" Xiao Zhan manages to croak out. His voice caught in his throat due to shock. "Yibo? When did you get home?" He is still unaware of the fact that his nearly nude body is pressed against Yibo’s fully clothed one.

"I texted you goodnight from the bathroom after I brushed my teeth."

"Did you hug me?" Xiao Zhan's eyes widen as the words leave his mouth but he doesn't take them back. He hadn't meant to say it out loud but Yibo has clearly heard more already so he just pushes through the embarrassment though he can feel his ears burning. Thank god for floppy hairstyles that cover your ears.

Yibo's smile both widens and softens at the same time and he lifts his arm from around Xiao Zhan for a brief moment to illustrate with his fingers.

"This big," he indicates with his thumb and index finger, mimicking the space in his meme. 

The action is accompanied by a heartbreakingly disarming smile. He looks so young in that moment that any residual awkwardness Xiao Zhan feels disappears. He stares at the younger man for a long minute before he sighs and ducks his head and rests his forehead lightly against Yibo’s shoulder. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see you. Will you get into trouble for coming home early?”

Yibo hauls Xiao Zhan closer with his arm, amused at the squeak he gets in response but the older man doesn’t pull away. In fact, he places his hand over Yibo’s chest and rests against it.

“Trouble for? I did everything I was supposed to do and more.” He is trying to contain his smile but his heart is bouncing at Xiao Zhan admitting that he is happy to see him.

“More?” 

“Our…” Yibo trails off as Xiao Zhan looks back up at him again with huge liquid doe eyes and he gets a beautiful smile as Xiao Zhan reaches up to poke a cheek. 

“You’re so cute.”

“Cool,” he counters automatically.

Xiao Zhan chuckles at the petulant note though Yibo’s smile doesn’t falter. “I should be calling you baobao. Your face just goes floof when you smile,” he mimics with his hands on his own face. “Poof they explode and you become the cutest little dumpling.” He grins when Yibo growls at him for that one. “You should smile more. I love your smile. I love your cheeks when you smile,” he pokes Yibo’s cheek again and giggles when Yibo playfully swats his hand away. “Yibao!” And he laughs when Yibo growls at him again and reaches back to pull the covers fully over him and between them, covering the man completely from head to toe.

Yibo’s eyes crinkle as he chuckles at Xiao Zhan’s laughter. The man is laughing so hard even Yibo is vibrating with it. He covers the older man and squishes him into the bed, careful not to give the other man his whole weight but Xiao Zhan just can’t stop giggling and Yibo is getting one hell of a ride trying to contain him. 

“Do you yield?” He presses down slightly.

“Never!” Xiao Zhan manages to gasp out before collapsing into slightly less violent giggles. He can feel Yibo pressing down against him, not quite fully on him and it is the insane urge of wanting Yibo to cover him properly that finally kills his laughter into choked gurgles.

Feeling the difference, Yibo tumbles off immediately to sit up against the headboard. He peels back the covers slightly, taking in the sweaty, red-faced man staring back up at him. Xiao Zhan’s smile is gone and he is gasping like he is struggling to breathe and Yibo feels immediately contrite. He knows Xiao Zhan rough-housed with X-Nine like he did with UNIQ. Hell, he’s been smacked in the balls so many times it’s probably a good thing he’s not planning on having kids. However, he’s arguably stronger even if Xiao Zhan is taller and heavier and he probably should have thought more about it. 

Way to go, Yibo. Crushing your crush to death. That would be apt.

His hands slip from the covers, letting it drop and he leans back against the headboard and leans his heated cheek against the cool wall and closes his eyes.

“Yibo?” Xiao Zhan saw the change in Yibo’s facial expressions, going through distinctive steps - amusement to realisation to contrition and then crestfallen. “Hey,” he puts his hand on a knee and squeezes while pulling himself up the bed as well. “Sweetheart, baobei, look at me.”

Yibo opens first one eye then the other and his expression softens from nothing into bemusement. “Baobei? Sweetheart?” His smile is wry, mouth twisted up higher on one side. 

“What?” Xiao Zhan asks a smidge defensively. The endearments had just spilled out without much thought. “You’re cute even if you think you’re too cool for school.”

“Who the fuck says too cool for school?” Yibo snorts before he bursts out laughing. “Ah…Zhan-ge you can pass for a high schooler until you open your mouth.” He laughs even harder when Xiao Zhan smacks his thigh and he yowls when the smack turns into a pinch into the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh. “Zhan-ge,” he growls warningly.

Xiao Zhan is basically pretty much ready to go _ah fuck it_. He flips onto his back and lays his head gingerly over a bony knee and tilts his head backwards to gaze at Yibo upside down. 

“Aren’t you hot?” 

Yibo’s sudden smirk causes Xiao Zhan to feel a faint trickle of _something_ down his back. He probably shouldn’t have quite phrased it in that way and he hurriedly rewords it before Yibo responds with something even more inappropriate. “I mean…meant your hoodie.” He reaches over his head and tugs at the material. “Isn’t it hot? It’s so thick.”

Gremlin smirk to the nth degree. 

“That’s what _he_ said.” The smirk intensifies. Yibo gets to the count of three before Xiao Zhan reacts.

“Wang Yibo!!!” 

—

Liu Haikuan is just about to knock when he hears the shout and he exchanges a look with Zhu Zanjin who is covering his mouth his already huge eyes even wider, practically taking over his face. 

They back away from the door when another much louder shriek is heard followed by uninhibited familiar laughter very easily identifiable as Yibo’s.

“When did he get back?” Haikuan’s eyes are vaguely confused.

Zanjin drops his hand and shrugs lightly with a smile that accentuates his dimples that distracts his companion. “He’s either with Yibo or on speaker phone with him and either way, I don’t think he wants to be interrupted.”

“I suppose we do have a late start.”

“Uh-huh, and I still can’t believe you dragged me out of bed this early to have breakfast when I could have stayed in. They better have chicken dumplings like that first day which feels like a million years ago now.” 

—

“I yield! I yield! You win!”

Yibo falls back against the wall. He feels like he hasn’t laughed this much in so long his face actually hurts. He massages it as he eyes the teepee in the middle of his bed. He can just see the soft tufts of Xiao Zhan’s hair sticking up over the top of the comforter he had wrapped around him to protect him from Yibo’s tickling hands. To be fair, Yibo really had only gotten in one good tickle and nearly gone deaf in the process from Xiao Zhan’s ear piercing shriek.

“Zhan-ge?” 

“What?”

“Awwww, Zhan-ge come on.”

“Leave me alone. I’m sulking.”

Yibo chuckles and moves, nudging the cute tent and tugging gently at the electrocuted hair and getting a yelp and a swipe that misses that only makes him chuckle harder.

He gets out of the bed and turns the thermostat back down to 19 Celsius and the sudden rush of cool air is welcome to him. The vent is actually somewhat centralised but about four-fifths is over the space between their beds and a fifth over Yibo’s bed. He stands in front of cool blowing air, looking down fondly at the cocooned man.

“You know, you probably wouldn’t be as warm if you weren’t so wrapped up. I never thought you’d be a sheet hogger but there you go. Zhan-ge isn’t so perfect after all. Who would have thought?” He continues sotto voce, grinning at the luminous doe eyes staring at him from over the edge of the comforter. “Zhan-ge can sing, can dance, can act, can draw, can go back to a normal life if he wants but he steals the sheets at night.” Yibo’s eyes are gleaming as he makes a tsking sound and shakes his head chidingly though the effect is somewhat ruined by his grin. “Lao Xiao’s perfection is tainted by his bedroom habits. Is there anything else I should be aware of? Besides the fact that you sleep in your underwear?” He cackles when Xiao Zhan ducks his head and disappears completely under the covers at that. Even his electrified hair is out of sight. He was going to be nice and not say anything but the man makes it too easy and his reaction is amusing.

“Shut up!”

“Isn’t that my line? Shut up!” Yibo’s chuckle is muffled in his hoodie as he pulls it off. He really is too damn hot and the cool air on his bare skin causes an inadvertent sound to escape his lips.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Xiao Zhan, curious at the sound peers, over the comforter, eyes wide.

Yibo tosses the hoodie onto Xiao Zhan’s bed and stretches, his body making all sorts of popping noises. Sleeping the way he did hadn’t been very good for his body yet he mostly slept uninterrupted, the only indication of the discomfort is evidenced by the noise his body is currently making as he stretches. 

“I feel like I’m popcorn,” Yibo grumbles, still stretching and not noticing the expression on the slack-jawed man on his bed. He had heard Xiao Zhan’s question but he figures his actions are self-explanatory.

Xiao Zhan is frozen, watching the long lean limbs of the supple, _topless_ dancer moving and stretching shamelessly not one foot away from him. 

Who is he kidding? He isn’t looking at his limbs, his eyes are transfixed on the metal barbell shot through Yibo’s left nipple. It takes a supremely monumental effort to look away but it’s not as if his wandering eyes could be polite even if his life depended on it. There’s just _so much_ of Wang Yibo to take in.

He is not cut in the way some other muscled celebrities are, but he is most definitely lean and his abs are obvious enough to make saliva pool in Xiao Zhan’s mouth. His brain of course returns to the previous morning and he groans, pulling the covers back up over his face and groans some more because now he really knows what Yibo looks like underneath his clothes doing that hellish body wave in those gifs and his resolve is not strong enough. It wasn’t strong enough in the shower and he is really certain Yibo would be down for _anything_ if Xiao Zhan gave even the slightest indication that he would be down too. 

It’s too early. Too fast. He’s really too fucking old for this dance.

Xiao Zhan can feel his body stirring and he shifts uncomfortably in his cross-legged position, pressing his overheated face into the thick comforter and prays that Yibo doesn’t do anything _too_ provoking until he calms down.

—

Yibo feels a lot more like himself after the quick ten minute or so warm-up to Swalla and a couple of Usher songs. He can’t really call it dancing in the limited space between their beds but the crackling his body had made during his stretches had driven him to work all the kinks out. He is refreshed and awake, his mind clear and his body pleasantly tingling, buzzed from the tiny workout. He scratches his chest, a finger catching on his piercing and he bites off the hiss at the rough contact. Rubbing at the goosebumps at his arms and ignoring the bolt of pleasure his inadvertent touch had sent low in his belly, he climbs back onto his bed and sits behind Xiao Zhan. The sheer volume of the covers Xiao Zhan had used to wrap around himself making him spread his legs wider than normal.

He studies the motionless teepee wondering if Xiao Zhan had fallen asleep sitting up. The music had been quiet and while Yibo had half an eye on his bed the whole time, he doesn’t think Xiao Zhan looked even once. 

Should he bother the man? 

Pursing his lips, Yibo leans forward just slightly until his bare body touches the soft comforter.

“Zhan-ge?” He murmurs.

There’s a grunt or something in response and Yibo smiles and wraps his arms around the man, comforter and all. 

Xiao Zhan doesn’t struggle. He leans back instead and he hears the huff of laughter. Pulling the material down from around his head and shoulders, he lets out a sigh of relief as the cold air hits him directly. He isn’t sure how Yibo knew to leave him alone for awhile but he had done it for just long enough that Xiao Zhan is feeling less off balance and a lot more ready to have a proper talk with the very distracting younger man. It’s not Yibo’s fault at all and Xiao Zhan still needs time to come to terms with their…relationship but he will not deny anything just for the sake of it.

“You okay, Zhan-ge? Zhulong was quite mad that you didn’t call him earlier. You could barely move this morning. How do you feel now? Need anything massaged?” He smirks when Xiao Zhan laughs and tries to elbow him through the duvet.

“I’m fine. I feel human at least. All body parts accounted for.”

“All of them? Are you sure? I can check.” 

Yibo noses into his shoulder, chin against the duvet but Xiao Zhan can feel his breath on his bare skin.

Xiao Zhan huffs but makes no move to get away. He can tell Yibo is not serious and simply teasing. How he can tell he’s not sure but he leans further against Yibo, resting the back of his head against a broad shoulder.

“It’ll be more comfortable if I move back against the wall. Then you can lean against me completely,” Yibo murmurs in his ear. Not touching it, but the warm puffs of air as he speaks is enough to send shivers down Xiao Zhan’s back.

Yibo makes no comment over it.

Not trusting his voice, he just nods.

They shuffle backwards together until a sharp yelp and a string of profanities clues Xiao Zhan up that Yibo has reached _The Wall_.

He looks over his shoulder and stifles a giggle at the daggers Yibo is staring into the wall. “You okay there?” 

“Fuck this wall, seriously. I don’t want to have to sleep in a damn hoodie every night.” Yibo returns his attention to Xiao Zhan, spreading his legs so there is a Zhan-ge sized space and he gestures with his hands for Xiao Zhan to keep moving. “How come you were sleeping in my bed anyway? I thought you had issues with this fella here.” He elbows the wall and manfully _does not wince_ when he hits near enough to his funny bone to cause tingles accelerating down his arm to his fingertips.

Xiao Zhan tries to will his blush away as he gingerly settles himself against Yibo. He is thankful yet not that he is so wrapped up. He can barely feel anything through the voluminous material yet the other option is skin to skin _and he is definitely not ready for that_. No matter if his body is claiming otherwise.

“It’s…it’s cooler in your bed. The AC blows over it.”

“Ah…that explains the freezing wall then. How did you sleep alone with the wall being so cold?” Yibo manhandles Xiao Zhan into position so while they are back to front, they only need to turn their heads to see each other. He smiles when Xiao Zhan lets out a quiet sigh as he leans back against his shoulder.

“They only fixed the AC yesterday so it hasn’t been cold.” Xiao Zhan rubs his nose. “I…uh…I’ve been sleeping in your bed the whole time. The wall is the coolest part of the room without the AC.”

Yibo starts playing with a edge of the duvet. “Do you want to switch?”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head immediately. “No, no, it’s fine. It’s just the room wasn’t cold when I got back last night. They had fixed the AC but didn’t turn it on and I really was too hot and tired.”

Yibo wrinkles his nose and leans forward to take an exaggerated sniff. “I hope you showered at least.”

This time he gets a dulled elbow to his chest and Yibo laughs freely as Xiao Zhan sits up and twists in the circle of his legs and continues smacking him in the chest and shoulders.

“I.” _Smack_. “Showered.” _Smack_. Xiao Zhan bares his teeth.

He lets Xiao Zhan get in a fair few hits before he catches him by the wrist and _squeezes_ , his voice quietly firm. “I don’t think Zhulong healed you for you to waste your energy like this. Are you hungry? Do you want breakfast?” _Do you want to be my breakfast?_

Yibo swallows hard, suddenly aware of their proximity. The duvet has dropped lower still and he is certain if he were to look down, he would be able to see the man’s nipples.

Xiao Zhan feels a little heady, like there’s too much going on in his head for him to process. His eyes drop to Yibo’s slightly parted mouth, marvelling at how pink and _full_ Yibo’s lips are before skittering away to stare at a bare shoulder. Then the wall. He needs safer places for his eyes.

He tries to pull his hand free but he can barely move it and he’s the one with gravity on his side. Yibo’s hand encircles his wrist completely and his expression doesn’t change but an eyebrow does go up and it is in that moment that Xiao Zhan realises belatedly that he can feel the cold air directly on his damp skin. He freezes, feeling the burn in his ears and the spread is so rapid and the burn so intense that he can actually _see_ the moment Yibo notices he is blushing by the widening of his eyes and then the quiet concern that immediately fills them.

It is the concern that does him in. 

He expected to be teased.

He expected that painfully sexy chuckle.

He even expected at the very least, a mischievous comment. 

He shakes his head, trying to clear the sudden fog and Yibo remains sweetly patient. 

“You can let me go now.”

“I’m not holding you.”

His mouth parts when he realises that somewhere in the long seconds of his realisation, his hand has wrapped itself around Yibo’s forearm. He lowers his arm and reluctantly lets go.

“Why did you let me go?” _He did not mean to ask that_.

“You want me to hold you?” Yibo asks somewhat incredulously.

_Maybe._

_Yes._

He doesn’t say it out loud, taking a very deep and slow breath instead to give him some time to steady himself.

Taking a deep breath, he leans forward. “Tell me no,” he says before lifting his arms out from the encircling duvet and slipping them around Yibo’s bare waist and pulling himself closer, nuzzling against a sharp clavicle before allowing himself to relax, sighing softly as Yibo leans back against the headboard. There’s still too much duvet between them for it to be proper skin to skin contact but it is already on the cusp of being too much for Xiao Zhan.

His lips a hair’s breadth away from Xiao Zhan’s forehead, he asks, “What happens if I say yes?”

The tickle of Yibo’s warm breadth against his hairline sends a full body shiver through Xiao Zhan and his arms tighten.

“Not yet.”

“I’m not saying no.”

“That’s fine. Just don’t say yes. Not yet.”

“How long?”

Xiao Zhan tilts his face up to look at the younger man and an intense longing fills him. Yibo looks at him like no one else ever has. Not even those interested in him, whether physically or just to be able to say they dated him. He knows he’s reasonably attractive and his personality is relatively pleasant and he was definitely popular at University but half the time he wasn’t sure if they were actually interested or if it was a proximity thing since none of them had daemons. With Yibo and their daemons being on equal footing, he at least knows it’s not that. 

Yibo could literally have anyone he wants. In the very short amount of time they had spent together, if it weren’t for Bailong, he is sure Yibo would have been bothered at least once or twice already. The thought of Bailong reminds him of something else. Something someone else had said. 

_“Look to the daemon to find out how the human really feels.”_

He drops his chin, resting his cheek just under a sharp collarbone. “How long?” He echoes back, moving a hand from Yibo’s waist and places it over his heart. He can feel the strong, steady beat against his palm and it makes him feel _alive_. 

He has lived with the quiet yearn in his heart for so long and it’s so much a part of him that he’s unsure what it would feel like without it. It’s probably one of the reasons he is in no hurry. He knows Xiao Zhan reciprocates on _some_ level and it doesn’t have to be equal because that is an unfair expectation and Yibo is fine with that. He’s just worried that it might get too much - that if Xiao Zhan really accepts him, that he will just want to consume the older man and if he doesn’t give him enough time to adjust, that the intensity will eventually spook Xiao Zhan. He wishes he wasn’t so awkward. He’s not sure how much is too much and how little is too little. He needs balance.

Can Xiao Zhan balance him?

Yibo wanted the role because Xiao Zhan was playing Wei Wuxian. He wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know why because that in itself is the sole motivation that he had. 

Why did he want the role? Because Xiao Zhan is playing Wei Wuxian.

Why? Because Xiao Zhan is playing Wei Wuxian.

Why? Because Xiao Zhan is playing Wei Wuxian.

Yes, but why Xiao Zhan?

He has no idea. He had no idea in 2015 and he still has no idea now but it has always only ever been Xiao Zhan. 

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” He finally asks, unsure how long he had been pondering Xiao Zhan’s question and very aware of the small hand on his chest. He wants to place his hand over it and keep it there.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “I don’t know…I don’t think so…Lust at first sight makes sense in a way, but love…love has to come from something more concrete than looks.”

Yibo frowns. He is certain it isn’t lust. He’d never so much as jacked off over Xiao Zhan until long after they had been properly introduced on TTXS and even then, it wasn’t his looks that had drawn him in. Yes, Xiao Zhan is objectively very attractive, but Yibo has met more beautiful people and felt absolutely nothing. He can’t quite call it love either because Xiao Zhan is right about it needing to come from something more concrete. 

Admiration at first sight?

He makes a face at that. Admiration is something saved for Han-ge maybe. This is far more than what he feels for his TTXS older brother.

Auditory love at first sight? It was Xiao Zhan’s voice that caught him first and even thinking about that first time makes his skin break out in goosebumps. He huffs out a sigh as his skin tints pink. It makes no sense. He shouldn’t have bothered trying to figure it out or justify it. It is what it is. It started one way and over the years it morphed. What the end of it looks like he has no idea but he doesn’t mind figuring it out as long as Xiao Zhan is willing to figure it out with him.

“What is lust at first sight supposed to feel like?”

Xiao Zhan lets out a startled sound, not at all prepared for that question in the extended silence between them. Yibo is so warm and smells so good he had been drowsing until Yibo spoke again.

“I actually don’t know,” he admits. “But if I had to guess, probably like…I guess whatever initial feelings a person had would be sexual?” 

He scrunches his nose, aware he had made it sound like a question but in all honesty, he has no idea. His feelings for Yibo _turned_ sexual. He’s not sure what they were originally because it happened over a year ago and he spent most of the time in between either ignoring or trying to stifle the feelings. Does he believe in love at first sight? What was it then because it definitely wasn’t lust. Is admiration at first sight a thing? He had definitely been in awe of the very young host who had accomplished what felt like the world already to Xiao Zhan as a rookie back then despite only two years between their actual debuts. The years of training gave him an advantage that Xiao Zhan will never get and he had been extremely taken by the sheer drive the young man needed to leave home barely a teenager to live in a foreign country all alone to chase his dreams.

Xiao Zhan is unaware of the small huffs and sighs he keeps making and Yibo waits for the man to fall silent for a reasonable stretch of time before he replies. 

“Are you asking me?” Yibo’s mouth tips in a half smile. “I’ve never had sexual feelings for anyone I’ve just laid eyes on.” _I’ve never had sexual feelings for anyone but you._

Xiao Zhan lifts his head at that, pulling away and sitting up to stare incredulously at the young man. “Really? How? You’re…” he trails off, eyes dropping to the piercing and then back up to Yibo’s face. 

“I’m?” Yibo’s crooked smile starts to lean more towards a smirk, catching Xiao Zhan’s swift glance down at his adorned nipple.

“You can be very intensely sexual.” Xiao Zhan can feel his face burning. “You know that, don’t you?”

Yibo chuckles. The sound that Xiao Zhan wants to bottle up and label _Xiao Zhan’s_ because his body reacts to it as if cued. And he is genuinely starting to dislike the thought of anyone else hearing it, _especially_ if it makes them feel the way it makes him feel. 

“A lot of dancers are like that.” He waggles his eyebrows that makes the older man huff and lean forward to smack him on the shoulder while the other goes to cover his eyes. “We know what to do with our bodies. Control it I guess. To do what we want when we want and to get the reaction we want.”

Xiao Zhan peeks from between his fingers at the solemn way Yibo is speaking despite his smirk slash smile.

“So you sent those gifs to get a reaction?” He drops his hand.

“Yes,” Yibo replies truthfully. “I needed to know if there was a chance and it seemed like you wanted to play and I wanted to win.”

“One of them was practically porn,” Xiao Zhan covers his face again, this time with both hands, stifling a groan at the memory of the gif that has basically embedded itself into his brain. It is absolutely seared into it and nothing will dislodge it. “Seriously, you send these to people?” 

“Ah…Zhan-ge. Only you.” Yibo’s eyes are glinting with amusement. “However, I didn’t expect you to notice _that_.” 

Xiao Zhan can hear the smirk without needing to see it and he groans. “How can anyone miss it?”

“None of my group members noticed.”

“Maybe they did and didn’t say anything because they didn’t want to embarrass you.”

Yibo bursts out laughing. Grabbing one of the pillows, he hugs it since Xiao Zhan has vacated his spot. “You lived with more guys than I did. Surely you know there comes a point where nothing is embarrassing anymore.” He stops laughing abruptly. “In fact, you lack so much embarrassment you were basically walking around the dorm without pants on and there were cameras.” 

He drops his hands and eyes the pillow belligerently before punching it half-seriously. “True. Okay enough let’s move on or move back.” Xiao Zhan takes in Yibo’s starkly intent gaze and wonders whether it’s because of him with the X-Nine boys. 

“Why? Did it bother you?”

“You know it did.”

“How much?”

“Wang Yibo! You can’t ask people these things! Have some manners, _didi_!”

Xiao Zhan can see the fucking realisation in Yibo’s eyes and feels like perhaps dying from embarrassment is quite possible when the younger man throws his head back and practically crows with uninhibited laughter while the poor pillow gets abused even more by a red-faced Xiao Zhan. Everyone needs an outlet. 

Punching the pillow feels oddly satisfying especially with Yibo behind it. The kid is really too much. Inhuman even. Purely inhuman.

What does it make him then when Yibo’s carefree yet extremely obnoxious laughter makes something deep within him stir. _Yibo is happy. That’s all it took._

Xiao Zhan sighs helplessly and waits for Yibo to settle.

It really was a battle lost from the start. He never stood a chance.

—

“I think we should head to timeout.”

Bailong looks over the edge of the parapet, down at the little humans milling about the gardens. They are on the roof of the building and enjoying the sun and the breeze. 

“Mine or yours?” The cub asks, not questioning his gege as to why they should. He trusts the other daemon.

Zhulong’s nose twitches, the tumultuous feelings from his human are making him vaguely nauseous. It literally feels like he’s a swinging pendulum, and as it goes one way, he gets caught and pushed another way yet before he can finish that arc he gets pushed in yet another direction. It is slowly settling into a rhythm _he knows_ has been there for a long time. 

It really is about bloody time.

“Mine.”

“Are you hungry? Should we check if they want to go for breakfast? Though I don’t think Yibo will want to eat anytime soon.” The cub licks it’s paw and pouts. “He’s just too full with happiness. It’s making me feel weird, like…something needs to happen. I just know it’s not a bad thing but it still feels strange.” He cocks his head at the other daemon. “So do you have any food? Maybe I’m just hungry.”

“Something does need to happen…” Zhulong mumbles before getting a curious look from the other daemon. He smiles and nods, replying in a louder voice. “Xiao Zhan gave me some cereal the other day. It’s actually nicer than it sounds.”

Bailong doesn’t look like he believes him and once again, the echo of Zhulong’s laughter is left behind in the seconds following their disappearance.

—

The two men are once again repositioned back to front. Yibo is mostly upright and leaning against two pillows with the spare pillow he had found in the closet resting between his chest and Xiao Zhan’s back. The man is no longer wrapped up in the duvet, the covers now properly laid out over Yibo’s bed. Xiao Zhan has it pulled up to his ears though so Yibo gets some coverage even if the material barely reaches his nipples due to their positions.

“So…where were we?” 

Yibo chuckles and Xiao Zhan grips the comforter tightly against his chin. Yibo’s arms are resting on either side of him over the comforter but he knows it would literally take a breath in the right direction for those arms to disappear under the covers and…he doesn’t want to think about it.

“You really don’t want me to pick where we left off, Zhan-ge.” He links his hands somewhere over Xiao Zhan’s chest. “I’m going to be nice and let you pick.”

“How kind of you.” Xiao Zhan murmurs. His attention however is on Yibo’s hands.

“I know, right?” Yibo chuckles again, feeling extremely lighthearted. He scratches a finger and then twiddles his thumbs before resting them properly. “Is this okay, Zhan-ge? Let me know if I’m crowding you.”

“I don’t think you could.”

“What was that?”

“I don’t think you could ever crowd me.”

“I wish there was a mirror at the foot of the bed,” Yibo blurts out, staring at their reflection in the television. While it is reflective, he can just make out their general shapes and not details like facial expressions.

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen, his voice absolutely scandalised (also just maybe titillated). “Yibo! What are you thinking! You can’t just blurt things like that out!”

“So I can see your face when you say things like that. What were _you_ thinking about?”

Xiao Zhan’s jaw snaps shut and he bites his lip hard before replying quickly. “Uh…nothing.”

Yibo’s eyes narrow. “And times like now so I can see that you’re lying.”

“Must you know everything?”

“Why can’t I know everything about you?”

“I’m not that interesting,” Xiao Zhan protests. “Actually, I’m very boring. I work, I eat, I shit, I sleep.”

Yibo snorts. “We can be boring together then since I do the exact same things. I also pee though. You might want to get checked out if you don’t.”

Xiao Zhan strangles on a laugh before he makes a scoffing noise. “Yibo, you couldn’t be boring even if you tried to be boring. You’d get bored of being boring. Your hobbies are careers for some people.”

He can’t really argue with that so he tries to return to whatever their original topic was.

“Unless you want me to interrogate you about the mirror and where that head had gone, where were we?”

They fall silent, Xiao Zhan trying to recall while Yibo just waits quietly. He’s very good at waiting quietly. He can feel Xiao Zhan’s hands underneath the duvet and he repositions his hands roughly over them, smiling contentedly as he does so. 

His hands are much bigger.

This feels nice.

Xiao Zhan feels like he’s probably going to regret bringing the conversation back to this point, but fair’s fair. Yibo roughly knows how he feels. He wants to know too. 

“You’ve really never had sexual feelings for anyone?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“What did you say then?”

“It doesn’t matter what I said. Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“So blunt, didi,” his tone is mildly chiding. He had felt a twinge of _something_ at the way Yibo had just taken charge and gotten straight to the point. 

“Would you prefer if I dissembled?” Yibo squeezes Xiao Zhan’s hands over the duvet.

The older man shakes his head immediately. “No…but you can’t be like this in public.”

“Why not?”

Why not indeed. For the life of him, he can’t figure out why not. Not in any specifics.

“I don’t want you to get into trouble,” he finally replies quietly.

“I’ve been doing this for awhile. I can take care of myself.” _I can take care of you too if you let me._

“Okay.”

The atmosphere is a little awkward. Tense. They remain silent until Xiao Zhan moves to sit up and twist again to look at Yibo who meets his eyes and finally speaks.

“Just one.” 

“One?” 

“Just you.”

“Oh.”

Yibo shrugs. “Xuan-ge called me a dom…no dem…demi?” He gazes curiously at Xiao Zhan’s strange expression. The man’s eyes are bright which is why it doesn’t concern him overmuch but he does look a little poleaxed. “What? Is that something weird? The rest of the guys stopped hassling me after that so I figured it was a good thing. I never actually looked it up though. Xuan-ge wouldn’t call me anything bad so I didn’t feel the need to check.”

Xiao Zhan is feeling ridiculously warm. He shakes his head. “It’s not bad.”

“What does it mean?”

“Dom or demi?” Xiao Zhan teases lightly and chuckles. 

Yibo arches an eyebrow a smirk curling his top lip. “Do you _really_ want to explain the first one to me, Zhan-ge? What if I asked for a demo?” The smirk intensifies. “Actually I will _definitely_ ask for one.”

Xiao Zhan brought that on himself. He clears his throat a little nervously. “Then I’d assume you already know what it means.”

“So smart, Zhan-ge,” Yibo’s tone is lightly mocking but he is smiling. “So…demi?”

“Most people who have same sex daemons likely identify as demi. Or bi at the very least.” He looks closely at Yibo. “Demis are not sexually attracted to a person unless they have a reasonably strong emotional connection to them.”

“Ah…” Yibo sucks in his bottom lip and looks away. His arms move up to hug the pillow tightly to his chest, worrying his lip the entire time.

Xiao Zhan just watches and waits.

And waits.

When Yibo doesn’t look like he is going to say anything more, finally asks quietly. “How long?” Xiao Zhan’s eyes are soft in the bright morning light. 

“Does it matter?” Yibo queries back quietly, finally turning to look into Xiao Zhan’s eyes. “I’m not going anywhere and…and if you decide you d-don’t want me th-then just t-t-tell me. I co-co-couldn’t…” he trails off chewing his bottom lip and closing his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. He stutters when he’s nervous and the bottomless pools of Xiao Zhan’s gorgeous eyes are starting to do a number on him. Based on their daemons, he knows the chances of Xiao Zhan rejecting him are so low he shouldn’t even have mentioned it but he wants the other man to be sure and when he finally started getting the words out, just the idea of being rejected chokes him and freezes his tongue. 

He feels a soft thumb tugging at his bottom lip and he lets it pull his lip free.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

Yibo obeys, but his expression is solemn. “Zhan-ge.”

“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan shakes his head wishing he could take back that first proper day. “My daemon can call yours and that is extremely unusual. Someone told me to look to the daemon to know how the human feels and he’s right. Zhulong knew how I felt before I did.” He pauses and shakes his head. “Actually, I had a feeling. I just preferred to live in denial while he didn’t.”

“How do you feel?”

Xiao Zhan gestures to Yibo’s now crossed arms, hugging the pillow. “Can I have my spot back first?”

“With or without the pillow?” 

Xiao Zhan grins at the deadpan way Yibo had asked. Like it doesn’t matter what his answer is.

“Well, you let me go first earlier so you choose. I—” Xiao Zhan stops and then bursts out laughing because Yibo had immediately moved the pillow to place it between himself and _The Wall_. 

Yibo purses his mouth and stares at the giggling older man. “You said I could choose.” 

Xiao Zhan nods, smiling fondly at the younger man. “Yes, I did.” His eyes dart down that lean body and catches sight of the piercing and his smile freezes. Gesturing to it, he raises his eyes back to that small handsome _hopeful_ face. “Uh…will I hurt you if I lean against that.” He feels heat creeping up his neck but there’s not much he can do about it.

He looks down and stares at what Xiao Zhan is pointing at. Lifting a hand, he flicks at it a couple of times, just back and forth. 

A strange strangled noise escapes from the other man and he looks up immediately before a slow smirk blooms across his face, causing Xiao Zhan to make another unidentifiable sound - like a whistling whine.

“You like my piercing?”

Xiao Zhan’s mouth drops open and then snaps shut. He shakes himself out of his stupor and bares his teeth at the little shit smirking at him. 

“Shut up.” He moves before he can see anything more, turning to lean back quickly only to hiss at the contact. “Fuck! You’re hot!” He exclaims. 

He arches his body away instinctively but Yibo just wraps an arm around his waist and hauls him in with a delighted chuckle and he is just _covered_ from neck to ass in the warmest body he has ever been in contact with. Yibo literally runs _hot_.

“That’s definitely what _he_ said.” The snigger in his ear causes goosebumps and Xiao Zhan’s skin tingles from the contrasting sensations. His nipples are hard and he is just a little overwhelmed. 

Yibo’s amusement dies when he realises Xiao Zhan is basically a wooden plank in his arms. Wrinkling his nose, he dials back the teasing, concerned about not spooking the older man. He knows he can be a bit much. Everyone close enough to know him thinks he can be a bit much. They’ve definitely said it on separate occasions. He doesn’t want to be too much for Xiao Zhan. He doesn’t want the man to bolt. 

“Hey,” he leans away, not pressing against Xiao Zhan’s skin. Rather, their bare skin just skims, the faintest touch. “You okay, Zhan-ge? I can use the pillow if I’m too warm for you. I know you don’t like the heat. I run about half a degree hotter than most people and I know it can be uncomfortable. It doesn’t really bother me but if it bothers you I can use the pillow.” Yibo knows he’s rambling but he doesn’t want Xiao Zhan to be uncomfortable. 

The older man doesn’t reply even after all that and Yibo sighs quietly and leans away, releasing his grip from around Xiao Zhan’s waist to grab the pillow but a hand over his stops him.

“It’s okay. I was just…surprised. I’m fine. It’s fine.”

“You sure? It’s really fine. I like to push sometimes and forget that it can be annoying and—”

“Yibo.”

“Yes?”

“It’s fine.” Xiao Zhan leans back and sighs. “We have topless scenes anyway don’t we? Well, at least you do. I should get used to it before the actual scenes otherwise—”

“Is everything you do centred around the drama?”

Xiao Zhan hears the faint hurt and he leans back firmly, practically pushing Yibo back against his pillows. “If you let me finish my sentence before you interrupted,” he shakes his head. “You really probably got away with murder huh? The youngest in the group and looking the way you do. How long do people last when you’re denied something and you really want it?”

“Not long,” Yibo answers somewhat grumpily. He resettles himself and wraps his arms loosely around Xiao Zhan’s bare torso, resting his hands in his lap over the comforter. 

“Figures,” Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes and snuggles back against Yibo. “As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted by a spoiled little didi—”

“Hey! I’m not little.”

“You’re younger and shorter. You’re little.”

Yibo’s smacks Xiao Zhan’s thigh hard enough that he actually feels it. “I dare you to say that again. You’re not that much older and you’re just a beanpole.”

“Rude _little_ didi.”

"Take it back." Yibo spreads his large hand over a thigh and squeezes, imitating a horse bite. " _Now._ "

"I say what I mean. Wasn't that you? I'm stating a fact." Xiao Zhan counters breathlessly. "You can't punish me for doing what you wanted me to do."

The hand releases immediately and Yibo huffs loudly. "I'm going to win the next one."

"I didn't realise it was a competition." 

Suddenly Yibo chuckles. "I know how I can win."

"How?" Xiao Zhan's tone is wary and he resists the urge to turn around to look at the younger man. He can practically hear the diabolical planning going on in the younger man's head.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Yibo smirks and wraps both arms around the other man and squeezes before turning, his lips _just_ touching an ear. He unwraps an arm and rummages his pocket for his phone. He swipes the password with a thumb and holds the narrow man one-armed while the other holds his phone out in front of them.

"Wh-what are you doing? Are you crazy? You can't record this! You can't even take a photo!" Xiao Zhan tries to move away but he is held fast and he eyes their faces in the phone. He is red-faced while Yibo looks extraordinarily unaffected, smirking against his ear like the gremlin he is and he clenches his eyes shut. The goosebumps start again and the hair on both arms are standing on end. 

"I just want to see your face. We should ask for a mirror."

Xiao Zhan chokes on his own spit. The cast is going to side-eye them to hell and back if Yibo really asks for a standing mirror.

"Yibo..."

"Xiao Laoshi," he squeezes the man in his arms, watching his face in the phone. "You are too modest. It was you who made nearly the entire room cry with you when acting with your shijie. Even with red eyes and a snotty nose, Xiao Laoshi is still handsome." Yibo grins slyly as he catches the hitch in Xiao Zhan's breath and the man opens his eyes wide, staring in growing horror at Yibo's face in the phone which of course only serves to encourage him. "So handsome that he does not need any makeup." He feels the man try and squirm but there is not much give and Yibo swings his right leg over the older man's to give himself more leverage and Xiao Zhan gives up. "Such a talented actor and singer, what else can Xiao Laoshi do? Will he teach me? What can he teach me?" He deliberately grins like how he used to when he had first debuted with UNIQ. Slightly coy, and a little flirty, with a healthy dose of sweet. He lowers his voice and turns towards that ear again. He doesn't touch it, and he keeps his eyes on his phone. 

Xiao Zhan swallows hard. "Yibo..." 

"You're six years older, gege...what can you teach this _rude little didi_?"

He watches Xiao Zhan blink dazedly at the phone and and he drops his chin on a bony shoulder, his grin widening until it takes on more of a cheeky mischievous cast than flirty.

Xiao Zhan takes a good while to finally notices the change in his grin and he gives an almighty heave and wrenches himself out of Yibo's arms with a huff and snatches the phone before twisting around again and waving Yibo's phone so close to his face he almost hits him. 

"And you say I don't say what I mean?"

Yibo is still grinning and he leans back and cards his hands behind his head. "See, that's where you're wrong. I meant every single word I just said."

Xiao Zhan's eyes widen before he drops the phone onto the bed and cups his warm cheeks and shakes his head. "Wang Yibo!"

"Mn. That's my name. I like you shouting it."

"Wang Yibo!"

"Keep going."

Xiao Zhan yells inarticulately in frustration, more snarl than anything but there's no anger behind it, just...a lot of frustration.

"Stop it!"

"Do you yield?"

"No!"

Yibo is grinning so widely his eyes glowing with happiness. "Ah...I have so much more where that came from, Zhan-ge. And you know I mean every word," he pauses, waiting to see if Xiao Zhan gives in but the older man just crosses his arms, his brow furrowed. "No? Okay then. Zhan-ge has such beautiful long legs even if they are a little hairy and---"

"I yield! I yield! Okay, enough! Wang Yibo you are NOT human." Xiao Zhan uncrosses his arms, yanks the pillow from the wall and covers his face with it _and screams_.

His healthy lung capacity works in his favour and he lets out a very long scream, forcing every single last ounce of frustration he feels out into the poor defenceless pillow.

\---

Zhuocheng's eyes are wide, his fist frozen in mid-air, about to hit the door when he hears muffled words and what sounds like a very long shout or something. 

Lulu giggles and grabs his forearm to lead him away.

"W-was that...wh-what?" 

"Haikuan said he heard him calling Yibo's name earlier and---" She stops and laughs when Zhuocheng turns red and covers his ears, shaking his head violently as they walk away.

"Not listening. Jie, I am not listening. Stop talking, I don't want to hear about anyone yelling anyone's name. What kind of place is this? Is everyone hooking up with their roommate? What the fuck, jieeeee." He wails and drops his hands looking at his 'sister' who just ruffles his hair affectionately, her smile lighting up her face.

"Maybe when you're a little older---"

"Yibo's younger than me!"

"Zhan Zhan is older."

"Oh god," Zhuocheng hugs himself as they return to the cafeteria where Zanjin had suggested they take a turn to get Xiao Zhan down for breakfast since it is about to end in little over half an hour. "But he looks so...innocent. Yibo's the one with that mad move that Ji Li showed us the other day and---" he stops, realising that he's the one talking about it now. 

"And?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing."

"If you say so, didi."

"Jie!"

"What?" Lulu's voice is absolutely angelic.

"Do you have brain bleach?" he asks in a defeated voice. There are too many vivid images in his mind right now and he'll be damned if he keeps them there. Even his daemon is laughing at him. 

Xuan Lu is laughing so hard as they enter the cafeteria that she attracts everyone's attention.

"He doesn't want to eat?" Haikuan asks, looking between the two on-screen siblings.

Zhuocheng yanks out a chair forcefully, the clatter surprising him and to everyone's amusement, he apologises to the chair for mistreating it unfairly before sitting down.

"He's not hungry?" Ji Li asks. He points to the staff already packing up some of the empty buffet trays and not replenishing them. "There's not much food left."

Xuan Lu looks over and nods her head. "I'll pack them some food."

"Them?" Zanjin's head perks up. "Yibo really was there?"

Zhuocheng groans and drops his chin onto the table. "Can we please not talk about this?"

"I'm not even sure what we're talking about," Ji Li points out. "Though I'm really fucking curious now."

"Mind your own business." 

Most of the heads turn to the speaker. Yizhou just shrugs at the attention.

"Da-ge?" Ji Li leans towards his onscreen brother. 

"It's nobody's business if they want to eat or not. Xiao Zhan is old enough to know how to feed himself and Yibo is young enough that he will definitely look for food if he's hungry. If they're not here, they're probably not hungry."

"Yibo really is back?"

"And they're holed up in their room."

Zhuocheng stands up, his expression pained. "Can we please follow da-ge's advice. I don't want to think about this." He turns to Lulu. "Jie, I'll help you pack food for them."

Yubin stares after the two actors before turning to Zanjin. "I thought he was supposed to be back tonight?"

Zanjin shrugs and turns to Haikuan. "You're quite chummy with him. Did he say Yibo was coming back early."

Haikuan shakes his head.

"I'll go check," Ji Li stands up.

"Sit."

Ji Li pouts but he obeys.

Yubin looks from Yizhou to Ji Li and then to everyone else's amused faces. "Are we all getting character bleed already?"

Zanjin shrugs and picks a stray baby spinach leaf off his plate. "We have to spend four months as these characters. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing."

"What if they break up or something mid-shoot? That would be a disaster."

"They won't," Haikuan's voice is quiet. "And let's drop the subject. I don't like talking about others when they aren't here."

"Agreed." Yizhou adds.

Ji Li rolls his eyes and stands up again. "It's not like I'm not going to tease them so consider them told."

"Sit down."

He sits and grumbles under his breath. "I'm not a puppy."

"Then stop behaving like one."

— 

Xiao Zhan feels himself being tugged and he allows himself to be manhandled, loosening his grip on the pillow. He feels strangely extremely refreshed after that scream. His shoulders feel looser, his body more pliant, he just wants to lean against Yibo and maybe nap.

"Too much?" Yibo asks quietly.

He shakes his head, wriggling to lean back against Yibo more comfortably before hugging the pillow in his arms. "How did you know?"

"That you can't take compliments?"

"Mn."

"For me to know and you to find out."

"You won't tell me?"

"Eventually," Yibo hugs the man to himself and relishes the quiet sigh he gets from Xiao Zhan. "I have to remain mysterious so the great singer Xiao Zhan will---"

"Aiya, Wang Laoshi. I already yielded and you're still going."

"Next time then."

"I will prepare more ammunition."

"I look forward to it," Yibo grins. "And remember, you're not allowed to say anything you don't mean."

Xiao Zhan turns the words in his head before the truth dawns on him.

"You _like_ being complimented, don't you?" Yibo’s hummed response is non-committal but his smirk is too wide that it bleeds into the sound and Xiao Zhan huffs. "Seriously, does your ego need stroking? I'm sure people tell you daily that you're stunning. Everyone must tell you that.”

"Zhan-ge is not people. Zhan-ge is not everyone,” Yibo replies primly.

Xiao Zhan wrinkles his nose as warmth once again spreads from within. "Alright. I'll give you one."

"One what?"

"One compliment."

"Just one?"

Xiao Zhan pinches Yibo's thigh and nearly goes deaf in one ear at the loud laugh he gets in return. 

"You'll get none soon."

"Fine, one then. It better be a good one." Yibo nuzzles into the back of Xiao Zhan's shoulder. He had done it without thinking but when the man doesn't object, even relaxing and sinking against him further, he stays right where he is, inhaling the warm skin that smells uniquely like Xiao Zhan. 

"You're the perfect Lan Wangji and I am honoured to play your Wei Wuxian."

"Lan Zhan."

"What?"

"You don't call him Lan Wangji," Yibo points out.

"Oh my god, are you serious? I'm trying to compliment you sincerely and you take issue with the names I used?"

"Is it sincere if you use the wrong name?"

Xiao Zhan huffs. "Fine! You're the perfect Lan Zhan and I am honoured to play your Wei Ying," he repeats through gritted teeth.

"That's supposed to be sincere? You sound like someone held a gun to your head."

"Wang Yibo!" Xiao Zhan drops the pillow he is hugging and slaps Yibo's arm. 

"Zhan-ge is mean," Yibo replies in smol, burying his face against the back of Xiao Zhan's neck, resisting the urge to bite the fragrant flesh. He nuzzles instead and gives in to the crawling need to brush his lips across the warm skin, kissing Xiao Zhan very lightly and hoping the older man doesn’t notice the stolen liberty.

Xiao Zhan drops his chin, all the fight leaving his body when he feels Yibo’s soft mouth against him. He rubs at the red mark he left on Yibo's arm. "You're the perfect Lan Zhan and I will fight anyone who says otherwise."

"Thank you."

They stay quiet for a few minutes before Xiao Zhan's phone starts beeping.

Yibo picks it up for him, handing it over before propping his chin on his shoulder to watch. "Can I stay here or is it private?"

"I'm not dating anyone if that's what you're actually asking."

"I really wasn’t, but good to know I don’t have to sic Bailong on anyone.”

“Would you really?”

“I’ll challenge them to a dance battle.”

Xiao Zhan laughs and returns his attention to his phone.

"It's the cast group chat." He frowns slightly and starts rummaging the sheets for Yibo's phone. "How come your phone didn't beep or vibrate?"

"Muted."

"I already said I won't be your PA."

"It's fine. I don't like GCs. Most of the time it moves too fast and is full of ugly memes."

"You mean memes without your face."

"Exactly. Ugly memes."

Xiao Zhan chuckles. "What would I give to have your confidence—Oh shit!"

"What?"

"We forgot breakfast. The cafeteria is closing the breakfast buffet. A-Cheng and shijie packed us food."

"Us?" Yibo narrows his eyes at the phone, grabbing Xiao Zhan's hand holding the phone and focusing on the screen, scrolling over the other man's hand.

Xiao Zhan's protest dies on his lips as he watches Yibo's hand over his. 

**Zhuocheng 09:40 @Xiao Zhan we packed you guys some breakfast if you want it. It's in Jie's room because Yubin-ge will probably steal it if I leave it in mine. Breakfast ends in 20mins but I doubt you'll make it.**

**Ji Li 09:41 @Xiao Zhan Is Yibo back?**

What follows is a bunch of questioning memes that grow increasingly lascivious as more people contribute and Yibo mutters about ugly memes.

"Promise you'll use my memes in the group chat. These are all so awful." 

"Huh? No! I'll use whatever memes I want."

"Including mine."

"Wang Yibo, don't you think people will find it weird if I use your memes?"

"What's so weird about that?" Yibo is still holding Xiao Zhan's hand and still ostensibly flicking through the chat and passing judgement on the memes used. "I sent them to you for you to use."

"I suddenly feel like territory being marked somehow..." Xiao Zhan mutters under his breath.

Yibo stops scrolling. "I didn't mean it like that." He thinks for a moment. "At least...not consciously." 

"It's fine. I felt extremely territorial yesterday and my daemon is a rabbit. Yours is a damn lion. I'm sure it's far worse."

"Territorial? Over what? Me?"

"Mn."

"When? I wasn't even here."

Xiao Zhan gently pulls his hand from Yibo's and flicks through his phone, pulling up one photo and lifting his phone up for Yibo to see.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/130775/130775_original.png)

"Seeing this made me angry."

Yibo stares at the photo. His voice is very quiet when he replies. "Yeah...I wanted to talk to you about that. I actually wasn't sure if I should send it but you said 10 shots and you'd wonder why I only sent 9."

"You absolutely should have sent it to me. I was angry because I should have been the one taking this. Never again, Yibo. No one takes photos of you with our daemons but me."

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't know he even took it until he showed me. I haven't shown Bailong or Zhulong either."

"So only I have seen it?" Xiao Zhan scowls. "And the photographer?" he practically spits out. "He still has this shot. Fuck. Who do I need to call?"

"No. After he sent it to me, I told him to delete it."

Yibo feels the older man relaxing instantly. He can't stop staring at the photo. Bailong was so happy and Zhulong was being so sweet and he felt...it was something more than happiness. He felt complete. Almost complete. For the first time in his life. 

"Good boy," Xiao Zhan whispers. "Because I would really hate to have to leave training to hunt him down.”

Yibo’s eyes widen. “You’d invoke the daemon clause for this?”

Xiao Zhan stares at the photo. 

“I would do that and more.”

“Because of Zhulong?” Yibo thinks he understands but at the same time he doesn’t. And he really desperately does not want to misunderstand.

Yibo gets far more than he asked for when Xiao Zhan starts to speak, his voice serious.

He continues to stare at the photo, still tracing his finger around Yibo. “You touched him for the first time and I wasn’t there. I missed that. I have this, but the actual memory will never be mine and I was angry about that. I am still angry about it but not at you. I’m mad at myself. It never occurred to me that you would be touching him when I agreed,” he laughs a little brokenly. “Do you know I only agreed because I wanted to see you? I wanted to see you with him and then I well and truly fucking clowned myself.” He traces his finger around Yibo’s face. “I missed this. I missed you and I shouldn’t. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself but this was such a sucker punch to the gut. I can’t ignore it anymore. I’m not Wei Ying or Wei Wuxian. I’m not so blind to myself.” He places his phone down in his lap and finds Yibo’s hands, linking them and pulling them around him. “I like you, but I want to take it slow.”

“What…what kind of like?” Yibo’s throat is so constricted with hope that he barely gets the question out.

Xiao Zhan smiles and he understands Yibo’s wish for a mirror now. He wants to see his face but he is too comfortable, enjoying Yibo’s arms around himself.

“Whatever kind of like you are hoping for it to be, it is that kind of like.”

Yibo squeezes Xiao Zhan’s hands and nuzzles his nose against an ear.

“I like you, too.”

“I know.”

“That obvious huh?” Yibo lets out a breathy _relieved_ giggle.

“Have you seen our daemons?” Xiao Zhan leans into Yibo’s touch, his skin pleasantly buzzing with the thrill of the contact.

“I honestly thought I was going to die when the neck tingling thing woke me up that first night.” Yibo chuckles ruefully at the memory. “I was hoping it wouldn’t wake you because I had no idea what to say. I had completely forgotten that it was not a one-way thing until you mentioned about them treating each other like family.”

“When you turned into a deviant?”

“Deviant?”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “I’m not going to remind you if you forgot.” He changes the subject quickly when he hears Yibo take a breath, likely about to launch into a protest. “I sent Zhulong to timeout that morning because he was sassing me about you.”

“He was?”

“He said I was an idiot and he was the idiot’s minder.”

Yibo muffles his laughter in the back of Xiao Zhan’s shoulder. “Was he wrong though?”

“Wang Yibo!”

The snickering in his ear makes his toes curl and he pulls his leg back a little to rub it against the thick material of Yibo’s sweat pants. His foot slips and he ends up running his toes over Yibo’s ankle bone and he can hear _and_ feel the hitch in Yibo’s breath.

“Tickles,” Yibo whispers after about a minute of Xiao Zhan toeing his ankle.

Xiao Zhan thinks it is doing more than tickling. He is leaning against the younger man’s crotch after all, but he is politer than the little gremlin so he makes absolutely no comment since he isn’t unaffected either.

“Should we call our daemons? If we’ve missed breakfast, they’re going to be insufferable. Is there any way we can get some fresh food?”

Yibo sits up, his arm loosely wrapped around Xiao Zhan and he starts looking for his phone with the free hand. “You call them and maybe they can accompany you to pick up the food from your Shijie’s room? We can eat that first although I’m not really hungry. I bought you some snacks too. I’ll ask Biyu to bring it over after you’re more decently attired.”

“Hey!” Xiao Zhan protests immediately. “You’re no better.”

“She’s seen me like this while you’re in your _underwear_ ,” he replies pointedly. 

“Wang Yibo!”

—

Xiao Zhan is amused at how Biyu doesn’t even bat an eyelid when Yibo answers the door still sans top. She keeps her eyes on his face and doesn’t even try to sneak a glance past him and into the room. 

He’s not sure how she would react to Zhulong and Bailong curled in his lap as he sits at the newly moved desk, doing 180 degree swivels in the office chair, lulling their daemons to sleep.

They had reorganised the room together with the help of a full-sized Bailong. Zhulong spent most of the time sniggering and was of no help at all. If he wasn’t sniggering, he was pulling annoying _I told you so_ faces. Unable to take it, he had sent him to Shijie’s room to get the food in his phoenix form and now both daemons are tuckered out, apparently so ravenous they had eaten most of the food and then promptly been afflicted by a food coma.

Oddly, both Yibo and Xiao Zhan are still not very hungry and he is certain their daemons had a hand in it. 

“Have they organised lunch?”

Biyu shakes her head. “Because of the late start, they pushed lunch back as well. I think it’s just going to be ordered from a noodle shop or something. They didn’t cater if that’s what you’re asking. Based on the revised schedule, lunch is not till 3pm at the earliest.”

Yibo clicks his tongue annoyedly, the three bags of snacks rustling in his hands as he lifts one hand up to card through his hair. 

“Why don’t you ask the PD to fix a proper time and get lunch catered.”

“For you?” She pauses for a second. “And Xiao Laoshi?”

Yibo narrows his eyes at his assistant who just looks back at him innocently.

“If it’s just for us I wouldn’t need a proper fixed time, would I?” He points out. “For the cast and crew. Everyone. Whoever is going to be at the training facility. Get the right number of people and add another ten percent.”

“A heavy lunch won’t be advisable because of the training before and after. You don’t want people getting sick.”

Yibo huffs. “Fine, a light lunch but the number of people stays. Not everyone has training. Like shijie and what’s her name…the jiejie playing the doctor.” 

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen and Zhulong cracks open an eyelid and looks up at his stricken human, lifting himself up when he sees and feels the sudden distress. 

“You haven’t told him?” Zhulong asks in a whisper before rolling his eyes and settling back against the sleeping cub when Xiao Zhan shakes his head mutely.

“The younger Nie brother too and a few other people. And not all the crew will be flying around but they will need to keep their energy up. What time is dinner supposed to be?”

“No earlier than 9pm.”

“Right.” Yibo frowns. “Balanced selection then. Light and heavy. They’re all adults and they know their own schedule so they can eat accordingly.”

“Any particular preference?”

“No eggplant in anything and some spicy options.”

“Do _you_ have any particular preference _for yourself_?” She expands on her original question. She knows all about Xiao Zhan’s preferences because of Da-Xia but she’s not Xiao Zhan’s PA, she is Wang Yibo’s even if she does have a feeling it won’t make much of a difference in the foreseeable future.

“Biyu jiejie,” Yibo wrinkles his nose and she laughs. “I’ll eat anything. Just make sure there’s lots of vinegar.”

“Vinegar, right…” she rolls her eyes fondly and gets an answering grin from her charge. 

“Dumplings! Get dumplings. Pork and chicken and shrimp.”

“This is going to be expensive.”

Yibo’s waves her off and shrugs. “It’s fine. It’s not like I’m planning on doing this every day.”

“If you say so.” She looks at the three bags of snacks. Yibo doesn’t snack. “Are these for the cast? You know about the snack hero right?”

Yibo looks affronted immediately and moves the bags behind him. “They’re getting lunch. I’ll buy snacks for them tomorrow.”

“These are all your snacks?”

“For Zhan-ge,” he mumbles, suddenly shy and he steps away from his assistant.

“Right. Does Xiao Laoshi want me to tell Da-Xia anything? She’s gone to pick up his tea because she accidentally dropped the tea leaves this morning.”

Yibo turns in the doorway to look at Xiao Zhan and his gaze softens immediately at the other man stroking a light hand through Bailong’s fur. Zhulong is squeezed in the space between Bailong and Xiao Zhan’s belly. The older man looks up and catches his eye and shakes his head.

Biyu has to really focus when Yibo turns back to her because she has never ever seen the look currently on the twenty year old’s face. She really wants to sneak a look into the room at what her charge saw to make him look so helplessly and hopelessly…endeared. She can guess though considering how Xiao Zhan’s daemon is around Yibo. And she hasn’t gotten this far by being too nosy in his business anyway. Her job is to keep him happy and to make his life as easy as possible.

“Nothing for now.” His eyes suddenly widen as if remembering something. “Actually, can you ask her to get some socks? We are both short on socks. Whatever she buys for Zhan-ge, just get the same for me. We probably need…” he pauses, staring off into space for a few seconds. “At least ten pairs to be safe.”

If she thinks his request is strange, she doesn’t comment. “Each or together?”

“Together.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“Will you two be taking the same bus as us later?”

She shakes her head. “Unless you need me, Da-Xia prefers to sit with the crew and I usually accompany her.”

Yibo nods and smiles. “Pick something both of you like for lunch too.”

“Yes, Wang Laoshi,” she laughs as he plays at knocking her head before waving at her with his rustling bags of snacks before disappearing back into the room, the door closing _and locking_ quite firmly.

“Ah Da-Xia…I think we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other even after this shoot is done,” she murmurs, turning away to get on with her errands.

—

"So...we need to to talk."

“Mn,” Yibo gazes fondly at the sleeping daemons in Xiao Zhan’s lap before he tips out all three bags of snacks onto their expansive _shared bed_. 

They had pushed both twin beds together, filled the small gap between the mattresses with socks and then laid three flat sheets over it because none of the sheets would fit across both beds so they had to improvise. The bedside tables and the desk had been lodged side by side perpendicular to the beds to prevent the outer bed from moving. It had been a perfect fit and Xiao Zhan, who had been taking a photo of the final layout managed to catch Yibo and his full-size daemon on its hind legs high-fiving at a job well done. Yibo’s grin had been phenomenal.

Yibo had been extremely happy at the unintentional functionality of the new space because he now has a lot more room to practise his dancing in. He had pointed out to Xiao Zhan that if anyone asks, they can use that as a practical reason for the extremely questionable rearrangement of their room.

Xiao Zhan had been 100% sure no one is going to be buying what Yibo is selling but then the younger man does have a way about him so who knows. He is quite pleased about the fact that anyone looking into their room from the door will not be able to see the bed though. His bed had been partly in view of the hallway to the door

“Yibo.”

The man in questions sits on the bed, dead centre, bouncing experimentally. “I can’t feel the socks,” he grins happily before he starts sorting through the snacks. “What do you feel like eating? Bread?” He holds up a couple of cream buns. “Chips? I bought like five different kinds.” He sorts them into their piles, having bought two of each type. “Chocolate?” He holds up several bars in one hand without looking up, his other hand still sorting through his snack haul.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “Yibo, look at me.”

The younger man looks up immediately and his expression changes upon seeing the other man’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else.”

Yibo’s anxiety must have spiked very sharply because Bailong wakes up with a jerk, growling and leaping off Xiao Zhan’s lap in a heart beat. By the time he reaches Yibo’s side, he is full sized and nuzzling against his human. Yibo murmurs something quietly to him and the large predator shrinks just as quickly, mewling when Yibo bends over to pick him up.

Clutching the little daemon who has now turned to stare balefully at Xiao Zhan, Yibo nods. “Go on.”

Zhulong is also awake now, his floppy ears down and he is staring at Bailong.

Xiao Zhan swallows hard, suddenly feeling horrible even though none of it is his fault. It is no one’s fault really. They are there at the whims of the directors.

“While you were away, the PDs suddenly had an attack of cold feet. I heard they had finalised the budget or something and realised they were spending a lot of money on a project they may not even get to air in China and therefore possibly unable to regain the capital that had been invested in the project so…” he trails off, unsure how to continue. 

“Is the drama still on?”

Xiao Zhan laughs nervously. “Yes, yes, it’s definitely still on. They just…tried some alternative storylines.”

Yibo’s brow furrows even deeper. “What do you mean?”

“They uh…” 

Xiao Zhan shakes his head and gets off the chair, moving to the bed to sit opposite Yibo. Zhulong sits on the bed between the two humans, still staring at Bailong who returns his gaze coolly. Warm brown eyes meeting piercing gold.

“What did they do?” Yibo asks quietly.

“They had me film a few scenes from the alternate script.”

“They have a fucking alternate script?” Yibo’s voice is sharp. Bailong starts to growl again. 

Xiao Zhan nods reluctantly. “Apparently they’ve always had it. It was a Plan B thing.”

“And exactly what does this Plan B entail?” 

Xiao Zhan shivers. Yibo’s voice is viciously cold. Lan Wangji cold. He wants his Yibo back but he needs to get this settled privately otherwise it’ll be hell if Yibo finds out from someone else. He’s already feeling sorry for Meng Ziyi all over again.

“A lo—,” Xiao Zhan scowls. No, he’s not going to call it that. “A triangle, with one of the female characters.”

Yibo’s face is suddenly wiped. Terrifyingly fast that Xiao Zhan is genuinely taken aback and he reaches out to put a hand on Yibo’s knee, squeezing it, trying to convey some comfort. From the lack of reaction, he doesn’t think he’s doing a good job at all.

“It’s not his fault,” Zhulong fills in the tense silence. “He didn’t want to do it but he couldn’t say no.”

“He isn’t mad at Xiao Zhan,” Bailong stares down at his friend. 

“At least that’s something,” Xiao Zhan tries to smile but he’s pretty sure it comes out as a grimace.

Yibo closes his eyes. He had considered this might happen but when he had seen how much chemistry he genuinely had with Xiao Zhan as they read their characters, he had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. He was clearly not good enough if they got worried the second he left. He has to be better. He has to fix this. The story is perfect on its own. The fans already hate that he got cast as Lan Wangji and he knows that they will absolutely be out for blood when they find out their beloved story got changed so horribly because of his failure to carry his character.

“Not really,” Bailong turns to stare at Xiao Zhan, his topaz eyes are accusatory. “He is blaming himself.”

“Bailong!”

“Yibo!”

Yibo stands abruptly, dropping his daemon to the bed. “I need to go. I need to talk to them. I can be better.” 

Xiao Zhan stands a second later, grabbing the younger man’s arm and yanking him back as hard as he can.

They crash together and Xiao Zhan immediately locks his arms around the shaking youngster, mouthing softly against his ear. “Yibo, breathe. Baobei…they shut it down already okay? Someone leaked a few seconds of footage from one of the scenes we tried out and literally overnight it got shut down. Absolutely nobody blamed you. They blamed the PDs as they rightly should. It’s not you. You are perfect. Remember my promise? I will fight whoever that says otherwise.”

He rubs his hand up and down the younger man’s bare back, nuzzling and then kissing Yibo’s ear comfortingly without realising his actions. “Please…you’re perfect. Don’t let anyone make you believe otherwise.”

“What kind of scene got leaked?” Yibo asks, suddenly dreading the answer considering how quickly it got shut down based on a few seconds of leaked footage. His gut clenches painfully and he can hear Bailong growling.

Xiao Zhan’s arms close tighter around the younger man’s lean frame and he closes his eyes, feeling worse now than ever. “It was a kissing scene,” he whispers, feeling the tension in the younger man and his arms tighten even more. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He presses an apologetic kiss just by Yibo’s ear before just holding him. His hand sweeping soothingly up and down Yibo’s back doesn’t cease. 

“Okay,” Yibo whispers hoarsely after awhile. “Okay…okay I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mn.”

Xiao Zhan releases Yibo slowly before taking a step back, his body tensed just in case he does decide to flee and Xiao Zhan has to be ready to chase him down if he has to.

Yibo rubs his arms, his eyes cast down to the floor, ears and cheeks burning. He turns back to the bed where both daemons are staring up at him, one extremely amused, and one rather annoyed.

“Really? That’s all it took? _Two kisses and you’re fine_?” Bailong huffs irritatedly and headbutts a stack of chips out of his way as he marches affronted to find a pillow to lay on and grumble about silly humans. “Let’s just call Xiao Zhan ‘Bailong’ and be done with it.”

“Kisses?” Xiao Zhan blinks at the whelp who sticks out his tongue at him and turns his nose up at the human.

Zhulong bursts out laughing, causing even more chaos on the bed as he flings himself backwards directly in the middle of the pile of snacks, squashing a cake or two.

Yibo wrinkles his nose, feeling his overheated skin and the tingles that are still running through him, spiralling from his ear. Is it too unseemly to avoid washing his ear for a week?

“You know the first time he saw you, he had stayed home instead of going out for dinner with the members because he was feeling drained and awful and wanted to just stay home and recharge.” Bailong sniffs and swats at Zhulong who had lopped up to try and get him out of his little snit. “Guess what? After watching you on that X-Fire show, he didn’t need a recharge. He was fine.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen and he turns to Yibo who is glaring at his unrepentant daemon. 

“Traitor.”

“He is part of our pride. It is not betrayal,” Bailong retorts snippily.

Xiao Zhan chokes on air and sits down heavily on the bed, staring at the sulking baby lion. “Wait…what?”

“What are you asking about? Be specific.” The shortness coming from the cub is extremely reminiscent of a certain bunny and Xiao Zhan turns his gaze to his gleeful daemon. “Zhulong, I told you not to lead him astray!”

Zhulong holds up his front paws, still chuckling. He leans back against Bailong again who doesn’t push him away this time. 

“And I replied _if only you knew_.” He chuckles, moving closer to his friend when Bailong deigns to start licking an ear. “Now you know. Although…” he pauses and turns to look at the slightly pale Wang Yibo whose mouth keeps opening and shutting as if wanting to speak but unable to get the words out. “I don’t think either of them realised. I only did when we met again a few days ago.”

“What did you realise?”

_He has a lion's heart. That is why Bailong is a lion. He is territorial as hell and will fight to the death to protect anything and anyone he claims as his._

Zhulong studies his human, and then Yibo, before shaking his head. “Same thing I said that morning. It’ll be better coming from him.”

Xiao Zhan makes to protest but his daemon shakes his head at him and he remains mute and exceedingly confused.

Yibo crawls up the bed and settles next to his daemon, hugging the pillow that was in the way. The cub turns away from his grooming of Zhulong and sticks out his tongue at Yibo before returning to his attention to the white rabbit.

Xiao Zhan stares at Yibo who refuses to meet his eyes or is still too intent on glaring a hole into the back of Bailong’s head and then to his daemon who gives him nothing except a very annoying knowing smirk. 

Scrunching his nose, he goes up the same side of the bed as Yibo, knocking the man’s legs apart and making a space for himself.

Zhulong snickers. “Someone’s forward.”

Bailong giggles.

“You were faking?” Xiao Zhan asks, aghast. He leans back against Yibo with the pillow between them because he is not _that_ forward. 

Yibo holds himself stiffly for a moment, before relaxing after a few seconds but he doesn’t hug him.

Bailong nudges Zhulong off his body before he flips over and pads over the pillow to the two humans. He nuzzles against Yibo’s thigh and his human rubs his head.

“He wasn’t, but he’s over it now.” Yibo replies quietly. “And he was rude earlier. Presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

"Ok, you two need to tell me what's going on because I am seriously lost right now. What are you apologising for?”

“The pride comment.”

“Right.” Xiao Zhan actually had no objections to it. He was just surprised but if Yibo wants to take it back then…

Zhulong rolls his eyes, feeling the disappointment. “Seriously?” He sighs. “All of you are hopeless. How about I coach you a little. Xiao Zhan, ask what does it mean for Bailong and I to be able to call each other.”

"What does it mean...for both of you to be able to call each other?" Xiao Zhan asks obediently because he actually really wants to know.

"Oh, that," Zhulong mocks surprise. "Why don't you ask Bailong."

"I'm asking both of you."

Bailong makes a sound like a mewling growl before batting Yibo's hand away. Turning around, he walks back to Zhulong and licks his nose. 

"I found gege in timeout."

"How?"

The cub takes a couple of steps back and stares into Yibo's eyes. 

"What's happening?" Xiao Zhan whispers to his daemon.

Zhulong eyes the position of the two humans. “You need to turn around so you can see his face.”

“Maybe we really should get a mirror,” Xiao Zhan mumbles under his breath as he follows his daemon’s instructions. He rearranges himself, leaning against _The Wall_ that no longer bothers him since he is dressed, tugging at Yibo’s legs so they are now across his lap. Yibo doesn’t make any move to acknowledge him, still staring down at his daemon intently.

Bailong finally looks away and heads towards Xiao Zhan, leaping up easily onto Yibo’s knees and gazes up at Xiao Zhan who finds himself leaning closer to the baby lion without realising why, allowing the cub to nuzzle against his throat. Unable to help himself, Xiao Zhan in turn nuzzles the cub back and he gets a lick on the nose in acknowledgement The little whelp moves back to Zhulong next, nuzzling his friend, squeaking slightly when the bunny doesn't withhold any affection, squeezing the little cub back in a strong hug before letting go. 

The baby lion then pauses and turns to look over his shoulder at Yibo who hasn't taken his eyes off him. Turning away, he takes a running leap off the bed and transforms into the handsome tawny haired lion that Xiao Zhan first met.

Xiao Zhan's breath catches at the magnificence of the creature. The bright natural light from the window catches the blond highlights in his mane and the daemon looks as if he is glowing with some unseen energy.

"Bailong."

"Yibo."

“Ask. Do not presume.”

“I can call him from timeout too,” Zhulong points out casually. “I don’t think you need to ask anyone anything.”

“No.”

Xiao Zhan suppresses a shiver. He has never heard Yibo speak like that. It was just one word but it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, his toes curling again just like earlier and he shifts slightly to put more of a distance between his crotch and Yibo’s calf.

Bailong stares at his human for a few more seconds before turning to the other human in the room. Xiao Zhan turns to look at Yibo for some sort of direction and he draws in a sharp breath when the man’s eyes meet his.

Yibo’s eyes are the gold of his daemon.

“Yibo?”

“You don’t have to accept.”

“I think it’s a little too late for that don’t you think?”

“I don’t want you to feel forced…or obligated.”

Xiao Zhan sees the very minute waver in Yibo’s golden gaze and he reacts to that moment of vulnerability. 

Zhulong moves, lopping across to jump into Yibo’s lap, leaning over his heart and feeding him comfort the way Bailong had earlier that morning for Xiao Zhan, drawing from his own human. Both their hearts are beating rapidly but Xiao Zhan’s is rabbiting a lot less and Zhulong slowly matches them beat for beat.

He sees Yibo put his hand out, palm up and he takes it without hesitation, linking their fingers, palms pressed tightly together.

Yibo turns back to Bailong and nods, his other hand reaching up to stroke the daemon against his heart.

“Will you be Ours?”

“Yes.”

—

The roar of a wild animal echoes throughout the building, freezing everyone who hears it.

Most of the cast are congregated in the gaming room, either playing or just lounging about the couches chatting. All of them are pale as every daemon within a five mile radius reacts.

“What. The. Fuck.” Ji Li collapses heavily back onto the couch, narrowly missing hitting Yizhou’s knee on the way down. The man doesn’t notice, staring intently at his horse daemon that is frozen in fright.

“My daemon is going nuts,” Zanjin’s eyes are wide and unseeing, staring at his black swan flapping its wings agitatedly.

“Mine too,” Xuan Lu whispers, not even feeling the pain of Meng Ziyi squeezing her arm tightly, her large eyes reflecting her shock at the way her own daemon is acting.

Haikuan reassesses, watching his own daemon cowering. He had underestimated Yibo’s daemon. 

It isn’t Chidi at the top of the hierarchy. It is Baidi.

Another slightly quieter roar follows.

All their daemons bow in their spaces of permanent timeout, acknowledging the message while their humans are still confused and at a loss as to what is going on. Their connections to their daemons are varied, some stronger than others but most have a very limited ability to convey anything beyond feelings.

The first roar had been a warning.

The second roar had been an instruction.

_Protect._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will cover parts of some BTS moments. I have written three scenes but if anyone wants to suggest more, feel free since I’m clearly good for expanding my original written chapters by a lot given how much time I have to edit.
> 
> The photo is fan art done by pekebella on AO3. You can find her on @sara_g_o on Twitter and on @bemymusebaebae on Tumblr. She literally made me SCREAM I was so stunned and happy cos I never thought I would ever be able to see the photo that made Xiao Zhan so mad.


	6. What's Mine is Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, this went on and on and got too long so I had to split it because 17k AGAIN. If I don’t get the chapters under control we might have a ch11 which means a double update in a week at some point in the future.

“So…just to avoid any future awkwardness, do you understand now?” Zhulong asks Xiao Zhan. He is freshly showered and changed and laying on his side on the bed waiting for Yibo. Bailong is snoring peacefully on the pillow next to him and he is watching the little cub fondly, trying to work out a way to pick up the daemon without waking him.

“We are…family?”

Zhulong rolls his eyes. “That is the simplest description but I guess humans are the lowest life form.”

Xiao Zhan can’t even get mad because Zhulong’s eyes are twinkling, indicating he is just teasing. 

“It’s the only description I can deal with right now but I have a question. Why did you bow to Bailong after the second roar?”

Zhulong’s nose twitches. How do you explain to your human that Bailong had essentially given an order and then compelled every single daemon within hearing distance to accept and obey. The cast and crew currently residing where they are would not need NDAs. Even if they wanted to, their daemons would not let them go against the order to protect Xiao Zhan unless the cost of compliance was their death. He had been left out of course, since Xiao Zhan is his human and yet he had bowed nonetheless because they are now _family_. 

“What do you humans call lions? King of the jungle? It’s something like that.”

“Why do I feel like you’re simplifying your explanation?” Xiao Zhan narrows his eyes at his daemon currently _gently petting_ the sleeping cub who had transformed back immediately after the second roar and leapt into Yibo’s arms for a cuddle.

Both Xiao Zhan and Yibo had laid down with their daemons between them, conversing quietly about the drama and the reading material until Bailong and Zhulong had been lulled to sleep. Zhulong had woken up when Xiao Zhan had gotten up to shower though, leaving Bailong the only one still blissfully asleep. 

Zhulong shrugs. “It’s equivalent to your _we are family_ answer. Until you understand beyond that, you won’t be prepared to hear what I have to say about it.”

The back of his neck has been tingling for the last ten minutes and he rubs at it, ignoring his bunny’s smug expression when he catches him doing it. 

“Does Yibo understand?”

Zhulong’s nose twitches as he turns his gaze to the peaceful sleeping cub before returning his gaze to his human.

“You might want to have that conversation with him. I can explain from Bailong’s point of view but not so much Yibo’s although I can probably guess. Yibo saw you on X-Fire and for one reason or other, took an instant liking to you that developed over the years into something strong enough that Bailong instinctively reacted to his human’s feelings to make sure that his human is happy and stays happy. I don’t know what happened on that show but Yibo was happy enough to turn his adoration for you into a scent for Bailong to follow that lead to me.” 

Xiao Zhan flushes slowly, looking away and staring out the window. “He surprised me.”

“Xiao Zhan.”

He returns his gaze to his daemon, the bunny so solemn, more solemn than he ever has been. 

“What is it?”

“You are sure about this?”

A nervous titter leaves his throat and Xiao Zhan looks away, shaking his head. “I know we can figure it out.”

“He doesn’t want a summer fling.”

“Neither do I.”

“He wants forever.” Zhulong presses, watching Xiao Zhan intently. This conversation has happened backwards but being a daemon, he can feel his human’s true feelings even if those feelings are inconvenient and on some level, he knows it will be alright. Yibo had surprised him though, by still offering Xiao Zhan a way out despite how strongly he wanted the outcome Bailong wanted as well. “Are you ready for forever?”

Xiao Zhan stares at the sleeping Bailong, before lifting his gaze to his daemon that is still stroking the sleeping baby lion tenderly. “You already know the answer to that.” He smiles ruefully. 

Zhulong smiles. 

Xiao Zhan sighs and tips over from his side, dropping onto his back on their bed, staring at the ceiling. He is not looking forward to leaving the sanctuary of their room and the lovely AC currently blowing fully over him after joining the two beds. To be honest, he feels wrung out emotionally and would like nothing better than hashing it out with Yibo in their room. However they both have jobs to do and do not have the luxury to figure out their personal lives on time someone else has essentially paid for. 

He is still staring up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts on how to manage their relationship when he feels a warm furry body against the side of his head, turning instinctively to nuzzle the sleepy cub. Thoughts of figuring out if there is a disparity between what Yibo thinks is slow and what he thinks is slow can be dealt with later. Right now he has a second daemon to cuddle.

“Good nap?”

“Mn.” Bailong flops down next to his cheek and curls around his head, yawning squeakily before returning for more nuzzles.

Zhulong chuckles and hops up onto Xiao Zhan’s chest and lays over his heart. Xiao Zhan feels incredibly at ease and more content than he has ever felt in his life. His eyes flutter closed and within a minute, he has dozed off completely.

—

Yibo exits the bathroom clad in a towel and nothing else. His hair is already dry thanks to the inbuilt hair dryer and while extremely basic, does the job well enough. He is about to open his mouth when he stops short at the sight before him. 

Bailong and Xiao Zhan are asleep and snoring quietly and from where he is standing, it looks like they are nose to nose. Zhulong is asleep along the pale column of Xiao Zhan’s throat, curling around from his ear to his Adam’s apple, facing the sleeping cub. He places a hand over his heart, _willing_ himself to stay calm and to control any sudden bursts of giddiness because it will definitely wake Bailong. Focusing on his breathing, he approaches slowly, chewing hard on his bottom lip but even the sting of that isn’t able to distract the crazy feelings of joy in his chest.

Inevitably, Bailong lifts his head sleepily and looks towards him.

“Yibo?”

“Mn.”

“Happy?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” the cub smiles and then lays back down, reaching out with a small paw to pat Xiao Zhan’s cheek before moving to Zhulong’s head. “They are good for us.”

He smiles. “I’m glad you think so.”

Yibo looks longing at his phone currently charging on the desk but he knows the laws apply to him too until they submit the exceptions to the relevant government department. There would have been no need for one if they had official paperwork like a marriage license or adoption papers and he sighs.

“You can.” Bailong’s voice is faintly amused as he sits up and stretches, arching his back before settling back on his hind legs to stare at his human.

“Can what?”

“Take a photo.”

“H-how?” Yibo’s eyes are wide. 

Bailong grins. “You take photos of everything you like and I saw you looking at your phone.”

“We haven’t submitted anything though.”

“Human rules,” Zhulong sits up this time, stretching and yawning. “The Daemon League only said that photos were not allowed without the human’s permission. They didn’t lay down any parameters around it because they literally just need to ask the daemon if permission had been granted. You know that movie? X-Men? That machine that wheelchair guy uses to contact humans and mutants is loosely based on how timeout is laid out. The Daemon League can do the same thing because all daemons are linked. There was no need to drown it in red tape but I guess humans enjoy being inefficient for the sake of it.” He yawns again and starts patting Xiao Zhan’s head gently as the man stirs. “Although…” he nuzzles Bailong in greeting as the cub passes him, taking the long way towards Yibo. “I guess it makes sense in this industry. The more red tape, the less paparazzi.”

Yibo hums and scoops up Bailong, smiling affectionately as the baby lion licks his throat. He knows about the rules and the permission of course but he didn’t know about the link.

“Are you allergic to clothes?” A sleepy voice asks. Yibo drops his chin and looks at Xiao Zhan who is raised up on his elbows, staring blearily at him. 

“I just got out of the shower.”

“I dressed in the shower.”

“I know. More’s the pity.”

“Don’t start.”

Bailong giggles. 

“Wow!” Yibo exclaims before batting his eyelashes and exaggerating a pout. “I didn’t get to see Zhan-ge’s long legs though those jeans practically leave nothing to the imagination and you’re probably going to rip them,” he laughs. “Why don’t you wear shorts or sweatpants? We have more wire work today.”

Xiao Zhan groans and drops back heavily onto the bed, throwing his arm over his face dramatically. “I don’t wanna go.”

“We can help,” Bailong nuzzles Yibo’s cheek before licking him, Yibo loosening his hold at the cue and the cub leaps out of his arms and lands lightly on the bed. He then proceeds to walk up Xiao Zhan’s prone body before settling on his belly. “Don’t be stubborn.”

Yibo hides a smile as he turns to look for something to wear. He can hear both Zhulong and Bailong badgering Xiao Zhan, determined to make him concede to _both_ of them helping him. He dresses quickly while the daemons distract the older man. 

“Yibo?”

“Zhan-ge.” Yibo replies but doesn’t turn around. He spritzes himself lightly with perfume before putting it away.

“A little help please.”

Yibo turns and bursts out laughing. Xiao Zhan is being held down by a very large paw to the chest and a full grown male lion peering closely at him, likely trying to glare him into submission. Yibo is quite gratified to see that Xiao Zhan isn’t shrinking away from the proximity of the large predator though. Even his parents still do and he can’t really blame them since Bailong is a lot to take when in his current form. Their daemons do as well come to think of it, regardless of Bailong’s form except for that time his mother’s daemon practically smothered Bailong for a whole week. He will need to ask them about that the next time they return to visit his parents. 

Zhulong is perched _on_ Bailong’s paw and unlikely to help his human anytime soon.

“Gege, is he always like this?” Bailong turns to Zhulong, his tone growly and vaguely exasperated.

“Oh you can’t imagine,” Zhulong complains to his friend. “He even wears glasses when I can heal his eyesight easily. It’s like he enjoys being difficult just for the hell of it.”

“You know that’s not why!”

“Look, how many times do I have to tell you that daemons are like the lottery. You’re not supposed to feel guilty just because you got lucky. Do you know how it makes me look? I can’t even go to the Daemon League because you are so stubborn!”

Yibo’s ears perk up and he steps up onto the bed, moving to sit crosslegged next to Xiao Zhan’s prone body and strokes the bunny on his chest. 

“Why can’t you go? I think Bailong drops in for the occasional check-in when I’m asleep.”

“I’d get laughed right out of it. A daemon like me and my human is blind as a bat.” Zhulong lets out a long-suffering sigh, a paw over his eyes, so theatrical that even Bailong snorts. “No offence against any bat daemons of course. I mean, if I was _not a phoenix_ it wouldn’t be so bad, but really, it’s deplorable. _I am a phoenix_ and he’s still fucking blind.”

“If you don’t change the subject he’s going to spend the rest of the afternoon complaining,” Xiao Zhan warns. “He’s done it before.” He lifts a hand to mimic a yapping mouth. “Blah blah blah phoenix. Blah blah blah dragon. I would be happy if he just stayed a rabbit.” 

“Bite your tongue.”

“What? And give you something else to heal? No thanks.”

Zhulong and Bailong both make dissatisfied sounds in unison though it is downright terrifying coming from Bailong and Yibo sees Xiao Zhan flinching before relaxing almost immediately.

Yibo chews his lip and looks at Zhulong, Bailong and that back down at Xiao Zhan. “I’m with them, Zhan-ge. At least let them heal you or feed you with energy if you need it. We can discuss the eyes some other day.”

“Not you too!” 

Yibo shrugs. “Honestly, it’s one of the things I came to terms with. Maybe you didn’t get into as many scraps as I did since university is probably not as tiring as training but I’d literally be in some kind of training for 10-12 hours a day for weeks. I was a sickly kid so if it wasn’t for Bailong I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

Xiao Zhan is silent. He has heard of the Korean idol trainee life but hearing it from someone he trusts not to exaggerate, the knowledge is staggering. Considering how young Yibo was, it actually sounds more like some form of child torture. He doesn’t say anything though because it got Yibo where he is today and the younger man is happy. 

“Okay…okay fine. Just, let’s not be too obvious about it.” 

Zhulong sniffs irritatedly before hopping off Bailong’s paw and into Yibo’s lap, gazing up at him, so affronted his ears are sticking straight up. “Did you hear that? Does he take us for rank amateurs?”

Yibo laughs quietly, stroking the disgruntled rabbit gently until he settles down against his thigh.

Bailong finally lifts his paw with a huff and shrinks back into a whelp and licks Xiao Zhan’s cheek enthusiastically, making him giggle.

Xiao Zhan moves to sit up against the headboard with Bailong in his lap, scratching the baby lion’s tummy.

“Are we going to let them do this while we’re out?” Yibo asks after a minute of languid spoiling, gesturing to the daemons in the wrong laps. “Although let is probably not the right word. They’ll do whatever they want. I suppose encourage is the better term. Are we going to encourage this behaviour while we’re out?”

Xiao Zhan looks thoughtfully down at the adorable little lion cub slow-blinking innocently back up at him. Yibo covers the small bunny’s body lightly with his hand as he waits.

“You’re right, they will do what they want. Maybe we just let them do what they want since we cannot control that, and we just don’t react.”

“Don’t react as in?”

“Let them touch you but don’t touch them back unless you want to or have to.”

Yibo’s brow furrows slightly. “That won’t work. I always want to touch Zhulong.”

“You do?” Xiao Zhan’s surprise is evident.

“You don’t?” Yibo angles his chin at his daemon in Xiao Zhan’s lap. “Want to touch Bailong that is.”

“All the time,” Xiao Zhan admits. “I thought it was just me.”

Zhulong grumbles as he shakes Yibo’s hand off him. “Honestly, the two of you are like innocent little children. I really need to talk to the Daemon League about making this information a lot more universal rather than just leaving it to the poor daemons to explain to their clueless humans.”

Bailong giggles and flips over, head butting Xiao Zhan’s belly before digging his paws in to clamber up his chest and nuzzle against his neck before he turns to look over at the other daemon.

“Gege, don’t be mean. How many humans have daemons like us?”

“Fair point.” The bunny concedes with a smile at the cute cub who purrs in response. 

Xiao Zhan grins at the steady rumble, hugging the cub closer and his fingers scratch lightly through the baby lion’s fur. Bailong nuzzles against his throat, up and along his jaw and then to his ear before he licks it, causing the man to let out a choked, bitten off sound that is loud in the silent room.

Bailong draws back immediately to stare at the flushing, somewhat frozen human. Patting his cheek in understanding and comfort, he turns and hops back onto the bed and pads over to Zhulong and nuzzles him.

Yibo watches the older man who is turning even redder by the second.

“Zhan-ge?”

Xiao Zhan groans quietly and lifts up his knees, folding his arms on them before bending his head hiding his face. “Don’t look at me.”

Zhulong snorts. “Now do you understand?”

The older man nods but he stays in the safety of his arms. Yibo can see that his ears are bright red now. 

“I don’t understand.” Actually, maybe he does but he wants someone to confirm it.

“If you touch Xiao Zhan more, you won’t need to touch gege so much.” Bailong explains brightly, moving away from Yibo’s lap where he was nuzzling his friend. He goes to the edge of the bed, circling a few times before settling down, his tail swishing in the air before lowering. He beams at his human. “So if you don’t want to touch gege out in public then just touch Xiao Zhan.” He nods happily as if that solves everything. 

Yibo merely blinks at his daemon mutely.

Zhulong huffs and hops out of Yibo’s lap, standing on his hind legs in the space between the two humans and states the obvious. “You are substituting us for each other.” He turns and hops to his friend, leaning against his warm body. 

Both daemons look at each of their humans in turn. Bailong tail is swishing madly. He even uses it to tickle Zhulong.

“That doesn’t really explain—”

His words get cut off as Yibo is stunned to suddenly find himself with a lapful of a blushing male co-star. He is fully aware that Xiao Zhan is very tactile but this was unexpected.

“Don’t say it.” 

The words are muffled against his shoulder and he instinctively wraps his arms around the taller man. He isn’t sure how Xiao Zhan managed to do it, but his six foot frame has folded quite neatly into his lap and Yibo definitely isn’t disagreeable to the new position.

The two daemons are giggling and Yibo looks over Xiao Zhan’s head to stare at them. “Why don’t you two go for a walk.”

Zhulong smirks. “Why? It’s just getting interesting.”

“Gege, don’t tease. Let’s go. Call me when you want us back.”

“Thank you, Bailong.”

“Be good,” the little cub grins and tugs his protesting friend and they both leap off the bed and disappear in mid-air.

The room is silent apart from Xiao Zhan’s heavier-than-usual breathing.

Yibo has no idea what is going through the other man’s mind so he decides to try and distract him.

“I suppose this would not be a good time to ask _when_?” Yibo enquires politely with a perfectly straight face. 

“When?” Xiao Zhan turns to Yibo, goggling slightly at him. “When?” His voice is pitched too high even to his own ears. _Did he say fuck? He is almost certain he didn’t._

He is still adorably pink. Even his nose is blushing and Yibo wants to kiss it but he tamps down the urge. Instead, he arches an eyebrow then turns to look deliberately down. 

Xiao Zhan follows his gaze.

_He is in Yibo’s lap._

Why did he move there again?

The silence in the room is deafening.

Xiao Zhan isn’t moving and neither is Yibo.

Considering he has had far more time to think about this, Yibo takes pity on the older man who despite the fact that he was the one who moved into his lap, genuinely looks like a very adorable captured bunny. His mouth is parted and his bunny teeth can be seen and Yibo is really tempted to coo at him. If Zhulong were still here, Xiao Zhan would be teased to within an inch of his tolerance for sure. Yibo has never felt any great physical urges to assuage so he thought this would be a safe way to tease.

Xiao Zhan in his lap definitely feels different and his body does stir and react but Yibo’s protective instincts are quite untested and in that moment it even extends to himself. He does not want to scare Xiao Zhan who truly looks like he is about to bolt with his large doe eyes turned towards Yibo as he slow blinks at him like a cat.

“Hey…Zhan-ge,” Yibo’s voice is quiet. “It’s alright. It’s just me. I’m not going to bite.” He wants to lift his hands up but when he tries to release his hold, Xiao Zhan’s body just follows. If he lets go, the older man will topple right out of his lap so he stays where he is.

“You would if I let you.”

Yibo clears his throat, feeling his ears burn but he doesn’t disagree. The silence stretches again and he wonders if he needed to respond. Perhaps he should. 

He clears his throat again, willing his voice not to crack. “ _Only_ if you let me,” he emphasises the word firmly. “I’d let you go now but I think you’d fall off my lap.” He isn’t sure why that would be a problem since he is sitting in the middle of their bed and any fall would be cushioned but he doesn’t feel like being rational. Who knows, the man might land at a funny angle or something.

Xiao Zhan scrunches up his face and exhales noisily. “I like it here,” he replies, his tone a little petulant as if he does not want to admit it. His mouth purses into a stubborn flat pout.

“Ah,” Yibo is not sure what else to say. Xiao Zhan’s beauty marks are very distracting. He has more than he thought…his eyes linger on the one below his lip before trailing up his nose and then across his cheek before he finds something he hadn’t noticed before. “Even your ears have beauty marks,” his voice is quietly awed. “So pretty, Zhan-ge.” Unthinkingly, he pushes Xiao Zhan’s hair back over his ear, his finger stroking the delicate curve of his ear as he does and the older man makes a sound that freezes them both.

The same sound he made when Bailong licked his ear.

Xiao Zhan covers both his ears and curls over, pushing his face back into Yibo’s shoulder. “S-sorry. My ears are s-sensitive.”

“No kidding,” Yibo murmurs under his breath, licking his dry lips and looking around their room trying to exorcise what was definitely a moan from his ears and memory. He tries to change the subject again, willing his body to behave. “So…what do you think they want to shoot tonight?”

Xiao Zhan’s head is nowhere near filming. Or anything. Except the fact that Yibo smells absolutely divine that _he_ is the one in danger of wanting to bite, not the younger man. He can feel Yibo against his thigh, not fully hard but definitely there and he inhales deeply, senses filled with Yibo again and it is intensely heady. The smell had always been there but it was faint. This time it is stronger and really doing a number on him. He is painfully hard.

He bites his lip and lifts his head slowly to meet Yibo’s concerned eyes. Eyes that widen imperceptibly at seeing his face before he sees those eyes filled with curiosity. 

“Are you wearing perfume?”

Yibo cocks his head slightly, studying Xiao Zhan’s face. The man’s pupils are blown and that itself gives his gaze an intensity that hasn’t been there previously. The look is making him feel overly warm. Too warm. His body stirs further and he shifts slightly, trying to rearrange Xiao Zhan as carefully as he can without being obvious about it.

“Yeah…is it bothering you? I didn’t spray much.”

“What is it?”

“Um…” Yibo glances over at the table. “Bleu de Chanel.” He returns his gaze to Xiao Zhan’s, watching the man swallow heavily.

Xiao Zhan drops his gaze back to Yibo’s shoulder before ducking his head again, pressing his nose against the grey tee shirt. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

_Then he bites._

Yibo freezes, eyes wide, then the explosion of heat that strikes like lightning. He couldn’t have stopped the moan even if his life depended on it.

The sound penetrates Xiao Zhan’s clouded mind and he draws back, tumbling off Yibo’s lap and backing up on his knees till his foot hits the table. 

Xiao Zhan watches as Yibo unfolds his legs and raises himself on his knees as well.

The span of one twin bed separate them, Yibo on the edge of what used to be only his bed and Xiao Zhan at the far end of what was his. 

He watches as Yibo raises his hand to his shoulder. He can see the mark his saliva had left darkening the light grey material. His mouth is parted, his breathing heavy. Xiao Zhan dares not drop his eyes any lower than the man’s shoulder.

Yibo has no such compunction, his eyes slowly trailing down Xiao Zhan’s body as he rubs at the light sting. His fingers feel the damp material and his body stiffens even more at the thought of that wetness directly against his skin as his eyes land on the very obvious outline of Xiao Zhan’s arousal.

“You really shouldn’t wear those jeans.” Yibo’s voice is hoarse and a little strained. “Zhan-ge…” 

Xiao Zhan panics at the breathy way Yibo calls his name and he does the only thing he can think of.

“Call them back.”

“What?” 

“Our daemons. Call them back now.”

“Bailong.” Yibo obeys immediately. 

His cub appears in the space between Xiao Zhan and Yibo who are still staring at each other.

He looks back and forth between them and makes a discomfited squeaking sound before calling for Zhulong.

“Gege.”

Zhulong appears and shakes his head. “You know, you’re supposed to call us back _after_ you’re done, not in the middle of it.”

“He told me to call you back.”

Zhulong stares at Yibo a little non-plussed. “Are you going to do everything he tells you, even if it’s the opposite of what you want?” His nose twitches uncomfortably. The tension in the room is dissipating slowly but there is a very lively thrum of arousal from both humans that underlies everything and he wants to go back to timeout.

“I…I trust him.”

Xiao Zhan completely deflates then, sitting slowly back down on his heels as he cards his hand roughly through his hair. 

Yibo mirrors him but he leaves his hair alone, staring intently at the other man.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

Xiao Zhan scrunches up his nose and sighs. “You’re really going to make me say it?”

Yibo just shrugs, concentrating on calming himself and his body. 

Bailong looks back and forth between the two men again before padding over to Yibo and rubbing against the man’s knee before resting his head against Yibo’s thigh and sinking against him with a soft purr.

Yibo strokes his daemon as the cub comforts and loosens the tangled feelings he has, calming him. He keeps his eyes on the older man.

“For fuck’s sake, just spit it out.” Zhulong grumbles, refusing to go anywhere. He stays right where he is, in between the two silly humans. In this case he is pretty sure his human is the sillier one. Honestly, and the man wonders why he can’t show his face to the Daemon League.

“For…biting you.”

Zhulong snorts. “In the interest of clarity, he’s not sorry at all about that. He’s just sorry he did it sooner than he expected.”

Xiao Zhan’s jaw drops. “Zhulong!” 

Yibo’s lips curl.

“What?” The bunny enquires unrepentantly. “We are theirs. They are ours. No secrets, remember?”

Bailong lifts his head and turns to the older man. “Bad, Xiao Zhan.” He chastises without any inflection whatsoever. 

Yibo loses it then, laughter exploding from him as he curls over, scooping his grinning and unrepentant daemon under his body and hugging him. 

“You’re such a brat.”

“Takes one to know one,” Bailong licks his chin. “Why didn’t you bite back? We must bite back.”

Zhulong and Xiao Zhan can hear the cub perfectly well.

They can also hear Yibo.

“Later.”

Zhulong smirks. “Good luck, Xiao Zhan.”

Xiao Zhan just grunts, stretching out over _his_ side of the bed and covering his face with a pillow. He just needs to survive the day. And the night. And many more nights. Why the hell did he bite him?

_“I like you, but I want to take it slow.”_

It seems he is just as good as Wei Wuxian at clowning himself.

However, unlike his character, he knows he has a family.

A proper family.

He smiles into the pillow, turning into the body that stretches out next to him.

The pillow is tugged free and he meets Yibo’s beautiful eyes.

“You okay?” Yibo murmurs, pushing Xiao Zhan’s fringe back so he can see his eyes properly.

“Mn.”

—

Xiao Zhan is reading the novel out loud to two very amused daemons as Yibo potters around the room to check if they’ve missed anything they will need for the rest of the day when his phone starts blowing up.

Yibo’s eyes widen. “What time is it?”

Xiao Zhan scrambles out of bed, dropping the book, with a laughing Bailong in his arms to check his phone.

**Zhuocheng 12:45 @Xiao Zhan The bus is here. Are you guys taking a Didi or should we tell the bus to wait? I know it’s not 1pm yet but you’re usually already down here half an hour early so I thought I’d better check…**

**Ji Li 12:46 @Xiao Zhan Is Yibo back?**

**Yu Bin 12:46 @Yibo Calling once**

**Zhu Zanjin 12:46 @Yibo Calling twice**

**Ji Li 12:46 @Xiao Zhan Calling both since @Yibo probably has us muted.**

**Xuan Lu 12:47 They still have 13 minutes, leave them alone.**

**Ji Li 12:47 So you admit it’s a “them” huh?**

“Zhan-ge!!!” Yibo pouts from over the man’s shoulder as Xiao Zhan laughs. “You need to send a meme too.”

“Well, at least you can’t complain that they’re ugly.”

The pout deepens. “You like them?”

Xiao Zhan’s phone is still beeping like crazy as other cast members throw in their memes of choice. 

“I _recognise_ them. There’s a difference.”

Yibo huffs and plucks Xiao Zhan’s noisy phone from his grasp, still pouting. 

Bailong is full-size and waiting by the door with Zhulong and Yibo’s backpack on his back. Yibo’s backpack is keeping safe within it a carefully curated selection of snacks for humans and daemons that Xiao Zhan had packed earlier plus some body and face wash as they had been told to bring some toiletries. Towels would be provided. Both of them thought it sounded ominous and Yibo had packed a couple of spare pairs of underwear for both of them as well as some track pants for Xiao Zhan who has stubbornly refused to change out of his indecent jeans.

Xiao Zhan has just opened the door to let the daemons out first when Yibo hollers loudly.

“Zhan-ge! Look! What the fuck is this fucking crap?”

Zhulong laughs at Xiao Zhan’s exasperated expression but Bailong can feel Yibo’s anger.

“Don’t laugh. He’s angry.”

Zhulong sobers immediately and turns to look at Yibo. 

“You two go down and hold the bus. We’ll be right behind you.”

“Are you sure?” Zhulong asks. 

Bailong replies before Xiao Zhan does. “He’ll be fine after a kiss or two.”

Zhulong chuckles. “You need to get over that.”

“Maybe in another decade.” Bailong sniffs and walks out with a chuckling Zhulong.

Xiao Zhan shuts the door behind their daemons. Maybe his ears are feeling a little warm. 

Yibo is staring intently at Xiao Zhan’s phone and scowling.

“What’s the matter?

Yibo’s bottom lip is fully out as he shoves Xiao Zhan’s phone into his face. “Look!”

Xiao Zhan blinks to refocus at the screen suddenly shoved about an inch from his nose. Taking a step back, he holds Yibo’s wrist to look at the screen properly.

**Yu Bin 12:50 You guys better save me. I’m putting my neck on the line here.**

“Ah.”

“Ah? Ah? That’s all you can say?”

“What do you want me to say?” Xiao Zhan asks cautiously. Yibo looks genuinely annoyed.

“It’s not just a crush.”

“I know.”

The anger slides off Yibo’s face completely as he gawps at the older man. “You do?”

“Yibo…aiya, are you serious? We have daemons. And Bailong will probably eat Yu Bin for lunch now for insinuating his possessive roar was just a crush.”

He wrinkles his nose suddenly looking sheepish. “I forgot about that. I guess it’s fair they think it’s a crush at the very least.”

Xiao Zhan smiles fondly at the shorter man and takes his phone gently from the other, exchanging it with Yibo’s own that he picked up off the desk. “I’ll send one meme of you. Just one so you better treasure it.”

Yibo brightens immediately causing Xiao Zhan to laugh. “Can I pick it?”

“No.” He chuckles as Yibo pouts again. He pats the younger man’s lips with his fingers lightly with a smirk. “You can reply though.” He looks at his phone. “Come on, we have eight minutes before the bus leaves.”

“Mn.” Yibo is already busy scrolling through his phone for a reply meme despite not knowing what Xiao Zhan is planning on sending. 

—

Various phones go off on the nearly full bus. The front seats of each aisle are unoccupied except for two daemons giggling quietly together behind the driver’s seat.

**Xiao Zhan 12:59**

The bus erupts in exclamations.

“Zhan Zhan approves!”

“Woah! Is he for real?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but whatever it is, I approve.”

“Of course you would.”

“Shut up and enjoy.”

Loud laughter echoes around the bus.

Meanwhile just outside the bus…

Yibo is laughing so hard he’s actually lying on the asphalt howling with laughter while Xiao Zhan bares his teeth at him and tries to kick the annoying brat. He hadn’t meant to send that at all but as he was trying to fix it, Yibo had chinned his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist from behind and his thumb slipped and accidentally hit send. The younger man had then promptly turned into a laughing lunatic when he saw the notification in the GC because he hadn’t realised Xiao Zhan had another meme already lined up ahead of it.

“Now everyone’s gonna think—” Xiao Zhan groans and bangs his head several times on the side of the bus, attracting the attention of the occupants. 

Ji Li, Yu Bin, Guo Cheng, Zhuocheng and Qi Peixin who are in window seats see him and they all start pounding on the windows in unison and cheering. 

“Think what?” Yibo asks with the biggest smirk yet, crowding him against the bus, nosing towards a sensitive ear. “They will never think that it was _you_ who bit me first.”

Xiao Zhan shoves the smirking man away and growls at him before boarding the bus.

Yibo is still grinning because he saw the flash of fondness in Xiao Zhan’s eyes and he knows the older man isn’t really mad. He follows behind him up into the bus, keeping his gaze polite of course. 

Just barely.

The jeans need to be burned.

Several catcalls echo up and down the bus and Xiao Zhan just sticks his tongue out at everyone before taking the window seat. When Yibo tries to take the aisle seat next to him, he puts his hand across it, holding onto the arm rest and shakes his head.

“No. You go sit over there,” he scrunches his nose mutinously and indicates towards the smirking daemons across the aisle with his chin.

“Move, or I sit on you. Pick one.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Yibo’s slow grin actually sends a sweeping silence up the bus but he doesn’t notice, eyes solely on Xiao Zhan. The back of the bus could explode and it would still be questionable if he would look up and away from his co-lead.

“He’s beautiful,” Xuan Lu murmurs to the girl next to her. 

Meng Ziyi swallows hard and nods. “Yeah…” she shakes her head. “No one would believe Wei Wuxian would look at me if his Lan Wangji looks like that.”

Xuan Lu chuckles lightly. “And I think he knows that too.” She pats her hand. “Don’t worry about what happened. They seem okay and Yibo would have heard about it by now. It would have been impossible not to have heard.”

She hopes her friend is right. 

Yibo sweeps his tongue along the length of his bottom lip and raises his eyebrows. “Are we starting?” He asks in a lazy drawl. 

“Wang Yibo! Can you be human for one day? One hour? One minute. I’d settle for one minute,” Xiao Zhan hisses, fully aware of the hushed bus. 

“Move.”

Xiao Zhan huffs loudly. “Ask nicely,” his expression turns absolutely horrified when Yibo’s grin widens, belatedly realising what he had done.

“Ah Zhan-ge is so beautiful he—” Yibo’s mischievous sing-song voice is abruptly cut off by a hand over his mouth. Xiao Zhan had almost brained himself on the overhead storage compartment but his head had thudded harmlessly against Yibo’s palm. The younger man had seen Xiao Zhan shooting to his feet and his reflexes had kicked in.

He doesn’t notice the various intakes of breath from their audience and neither does Xiao Zhan, suddenly feeling crazy warm at how quickly Yibo had reacted. It had been the same with the phone the other day and he just stares at the younger man, the top of his head still pressed against a wide palm.

Yibo’s smirks behind Xiao Zhan’s hand over his mouth. 

Everyone on the bus knows Yibo licked his hand when Xiao Zhan pulls it back so quickly he looks like he had been burned while Yibo just continues to smirk. Their younger lead had not exchanged a glance with a single person from the time he boarded as he triumphantly takes his seat next to Xiao Zhan. 

The bus is on the road towards the training facility when phones start buzzing and ringing.

_**Yibo 13:23 Don’t mind if I do…** _

The entire bus cheers and Xiao Zhan smacks Yibo in the shoulder.

“Yizhan love Zhan,” Xuan Lu murmurs to herself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she shakes her head and smiles at her fellow castmate. “Nothing, just thinking out loud.”

—

“Wahhhhh, Wang Laoshi you can go off for days again if you want if it means we get to eat like this.”

“Wang Laoshi is so generous, thank you for lunch!”

“I forgive you for not sharing snacks earlier.”

Yibo rolls his eyes at a brightly grinning Ji Li before waving him off. He is sprawled on the ground, legs out, watching the cast queue up at the buffet spread. Bailong is next to him already eating his lunch as Biyu and Da-Xia had picked out food for Yibo, Xiao Zhan and their daemons earlier.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Xiao Zhan asks, sitting down next to Yibo and handing him a bottle of warm water. Yibo doesn’t answer, taking a long drink first and Xiao Zhan finds himself staring at the man’s bobbing Adam’s apple as he swallows. 

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before turning to Xiao Zhan. “Why aren’t you eating?” He echoes back.

“Probably the same reason as you.”

“Not hungry?”

Yibo nods and they both turn to their daemons in unison.

Zhulong looks a little sheepish.

“Okay, spit it out.” Xiao Zhan raises a warning finger at his daemon. “No dirty jokes from you.”

“Then don’t leave openings like that,” Zhulong grumbles before hopping onto Yibo’s thigh and settling on it. “I might have over-healed the two of you this morning.”

The younger man doesn’t move, merely arching an eyebrow at the innocent looking bunny as Xiao Zhan huffs exasperatedly.

“Are you trying to tell the whole world about us?” He asks his daemon, squishing it down against Yibo’s thigh before stroking it gently. “You two need to learn to be a little more subtle.”

“As subtle as Yibo going _Zhan-ge, jia you!_ the entire time you were struggling on the wire and then tailing you everywhere like a lost puppy?”

“Hey! I don’t know where anything is around here. Today’s my first day, remember?” Yibo crosses his arms and scowls down at the bunny who raises himself on his hind legs, ears drooping sadly, his nose twitching. 

Xiao Zhan cocks an eyebrow when his daemon actually opens its front paws as if asking for a hug, and Bailong sniggers uncharacteristically at the action.

Yibo stares down at the daemon and then turns to Xiao Zhan, his voice quiet. “If you want a photo, this was the first time I touched him. I was feeling anxious about something and he came up to me and did this.”

Xiao Zhan does himself one better.

He takes a video, smiling softly as Yibo cradles a very smug Zhulong.

“So…that’s definitely touching.” Someone observes from across the hall as they queue up for their lunch.

“I don’t know about you but this is seriously blowing my mind. That daemon asked to be picked up, didn’t you see?”

“Is that lady here yet?”

“Yeah, she’s over there with the PDs. We should ask after lunch.”

—

_“You didn’t tell me one of the daemons is Baidi.” The beautiful dog daemon chides its human as it raises itself from the bow it had been forced into. “He just laid claim on a mate.”_

_“Baidi?”_

_“A natural Level 1 daemon though I don’t think he knows it. He’s one of the rare daemons driven purely by instinct and they are so rare that they are protected by the Daemon League at all costs.”_

_“You mean Level 1 daemons exist? I thought they were a myth.”_

_The daemon rolls its eyes at its simple human. “I am Level 4 which is the highest a fixed corporeal daemon can get. If a daemon can change its form, they are automatically classed as Level 3 and that’s the majority of them. At any one time, there are only a handful of Level 1 and 2 daemons in each generation. Baidi is the only known Level 1 in Asia. They discovered him when they made his human undergo the test at thirteen.”_

_Her face balks immediately, eyes wide with horror. “Thirteen? That’s child cruelty! Child endangerment!” She waves her arms agitatedly and stands up, pacing her room, her eyes blind to anything except remembered pain from her own test as a late teen. “What the hell? Who is evil enough to make a child go through that? Are his parents insane?”_

_It disregards her words, feeding some comfort into its human before continuing once she is settled with an arm around its body._

_“The point is, Baidi instinctively protected his human. Shielded him. A daemon feels pain just as humans do and while protecting our humans are inherent in every daemon, part of the test is specifically designed to see how far the daemon would go to protect its human. In a controlled environment, since both feel the same pain, normal daemons just tolerate it the same as the human because they know it is a controlled environment and that they can tap out whenever. A daemon driven purely by instinct rather than knowledge will disregard this information even when told. They feel their human is in pain, they automatically reach out to protect. The reason the League knows he is a Level 1 daemon is because he took on the full brunt of that part of the test at such a young age that left his human feeling only a fraction of the pain.” The daemon looks out the window. “To simplify, no adult has been able to bear past level 7 of that part of the test for mere seconds since the increments are exponential not linear. We didn’t even make it to 5 before you tapped out within a few minutes. Baidi went all the way to 10 and his human felt pain equivalent to level 3 and Baidi did not tap out because his human had told him to be strong. His young human finally did after almost an hour.”_

_“My god…” She feels tears burn in her eyes at the memory of her own test. For a child to hold on to the equivalent of 3 for an hour is unbelievable. She cannot imagine the daemon side because her own daemon had been so weak after a few minutes of the test that she just cannot fathom it._

_“I guess I don’t have to tell you that most humans tap out within half an hour regardless of the level.” It chuckles weakly. “It’s not meant to be an endurance test but the human was a child and didn’t understand and thought the longer the better. He fainted after tapping out and his daemon nearly went berserk but that information is only known within the Daemon League since we administer the daemon side. I was there that day and it took almost thirty fully adult daemons to hold him back because he had changed into his dragon form.”_

_She exhales loudly, quietly stunned. Not only was he not weakened, he had strength enough to transform. What has she signed up for?_

_“Of course he has a dragon form…how many of those are there? Five?” she sighs. “This is insane.”_

_“Yes, five at any one time although again, this isn’t widely known. Like phoenixes, one has to die before another appears. I only know of the Asian ones though. They don’t normally show themselves because you can imagine the uproar. There are two in Asia including Baidi, one in the Middle East, one in Africa and one in South America."_

_"None in Europe and America?"_

_"Not this time, no."_

_"Are they all Level 1 daemons?"_

_"No, just Baidi. The other one in Asia and the one in the Middle East are Level 2. The rest are Level 3."_

_“What the hell have these guys gotten themselves into? A celebrity that has a Level 1 daemon?”_

_“I’d suggest just telling the staff to leave them alone. The League has kept tabs on him and his human and honestly, they are extremely low key. So docile no one would believe Baidi is a Level 1 daemon and his human, despite his choice of vocation, prefers to keep to himself. I almost forgot about Baidi until he reminded me.”_

_“What happened?”_

_"Instincts," it shrugs and lays its head in its human's lap. "His human has found a mate and he was basically warning everyone off and then ordered us to obey."_

_"Ordered? Ordered other daemons and humans to obey?"_

_"Just daemons but we are linked. You cannot go against it either and if you tried, it would not end well."_

_"What would happen?"_

_"He's the only Level 1 daemon that I know of. Seeing what it took to contain him when his human was only thirteen, I would say quite seriously, don't test it."_

_"I hope the order was a reasonable one then."_

_The dog daemon sits back up. "I don't know if it's reasonable yet but it was simple."_

_"What was it?"_

_"Protect his mate."_

_"How would I know who his mate is?"_

_"His mate will smell like him. I will inform you."_

_"Please do," she shivers slightly. "I'm sorry I got you into this."_

_The dog barks a laugh and licks her cheek. "Don't worry about it. I like these adventures though I'm still not sure how I feel about being called Fairy."_

_His human's laughter is bright in their small room._

\---

"You don't need to tell me who it is. Anyone would know they're together the way he hovers so close."

Her daemon tries to chuckle but the sound comes out a little strangled as it eyes the foursome warily. Yibo is cheering Xiao Zhan on as he dangles from a harness and Baidi and Chidi are pacing restlessly underneath his airborne body. His human continues talking, blithely unaware of his concerns.

"I'm still having trouble reconciling the fact that the little baby lion is a Level 1 daemon though. Are you sure you have right daemon and it isn't the other one?" She is only half joking. The daemon is really too adorable for words but she has been around a lot of corporeal daemons and a lot more sensitive to it than most humans. His power is very raw but it is there, rippling just below the surface. The way he transforms so easily in the blink of an eye should have clued most humans in that he is extraordinary but what humans know about daemons to this day is still sadly lacking. The mate has a similar energy and it pulsed very strongly earlier as if in warning as well.

Her daemon wants to laugh but his throat is feeling rather dry. He had recognised the other daemon on sight and he has been wondering how to tell his human for the last twenty minutes. Chidi had recognised him too, the rabbit cocking his head at him before his eyes turned red for a few seconds - a warning - before lopping off after the giggling baby cub.

"So...you know the Level 2 dragon I was telling you about?"

"Yeah?"

“It’s Chidi.”

His human chuckles. “Awwww, good one. Chidi is a bunny.”

“Who turns into a phoenix and a dragon.”

Realisation dawns slowly on her. “You’re not joking.”

“I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“There’s only one phoenix…”

“Same as the dragons, yes. And Chidi is both.”

“How do these things happen?”

“Fate?”

Well…fuck.”

“Indeed.”

“I can’t advise people on Level 1 and 2 daemons! Especially not ones with dragon and phoenix forms. Dear god…”

“Just tell them to take their cues from the humans. That’s literally the only thing I can suggest. They will not behave like normal daemons I can assure you. Normal daemons are timid and try to make themselves invisible. Chidi knows he’s Level 2 and is anything but timid. And Baidi has always been quiet but I have a feeling it’s primarily so he doesn’t draw attention to his human who doesn’t really like unwanted attention. I’ve been watching them though and he’s a lot more outgoing with Chidi.”

“Okay…okay. Thanks.”

“Oh and one more thing.”

“I don’t know if I can handle much more.”

“The no touching rule is definitely in play. You do not want anyone even accidentally touching either daemon. They are mated but the link is emotional not physical and until they both mark each other properly, any challenge to it will not be taken lightly.”

She groans and covers her face with her hands. “Can I call in sick? My head is really starting to hurt. Is this even normal? My parents are not like this.”

Her daemon slides its head against her chest, offering what limited comfort he can. In truth, it feels unsettled as well as this is unprecedented in his lifetime.

“It’s because they are essentially the same form and therefore whatever links they forge will be much deeper. Baidi and Chidi were born as dragons. In Chidi’s case, he is the rarest magical creature, dual formed as a phoenix. Dragons are very possessive over their treasures and this extends to all four of them. Baidi manifested as a lion because of his human which means he is also protective as hell. That is not a combination you want to go head to head with because you will lose. You won’t get this with other humans with corporeal daemons unless there is another like to like pairing with similar personality traits. Believe it or not, it’s very rare to have humans paired where their daemons match. I can check the stats when I get back to the League but I can assure you the chance of it happening will have very many decimal points. Even cats to cats isn’t considered the same unless they are exactly the same breed. You can tell them you’re not qualified to advise because it’s the truth, you really aren’t but there is no one alive qualified right now in any case.” 

—

“I can’t help your crew with their daemons. My daemon tells me I’m not qualified and he’s right. I suggest you just leave them to do whatever they want,” the woman looks over to the two men and their daemons. “Don’t draw any attention to it. Just act normal. Act like you don’t see Xiao Zhan’s daemon nuzzling Wang Yibo. Act like you didn’t just see Wang Yibo’s daemon pawing at Xiao Zhan asking to be fed. Just act like they’re invisible unless they talk to you of course because then it would be rude not to answer. If you’re unsure about anything, ask their humans because they will know best.” 

“You’re not giving the talk?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t advise on daemons that are higher than my own because their behaviours and traits are different. Daemons are not born equal and they have hierarchies though it is seldom discussed amongst us humans.” She glances back at the foursome, biting her lower lip when her eyes meet Baidi’s warm golden eyes as he is fed from Xiao Zhan’s chopsticks. She pauses and takes a deep breath. “Daemons take it seriously so please just follow their lead. And whatever it is, absolutely no one is to touch their daemons. Not even accidentally.”

“Not even if Wang Yibo or Xiao Zhan themselves say it’s okay?”

“I can say with absolute certainty they will never do that. Not on this set.”

—

Xiao Zhan is still getting fitted into his costume when Yibo leaves to look for Meng Ziyi. 

The evening is beautiful, a brisk breeze blowing away the humidity and the clouds of the day, leaving them with clear skies and a comfortable temperature in which to work. The sun has just disappeared over the horizon, and with it, bringing a hush over the crew as everyone works to the instructions they had been given about the night shoot. 

There are groups of people everywhere doing different things though most of the main cast will be gathered together for at least part of the night to get some group shots. 

He finds her standing on the deck of one of the prop homes, face tilted up towards the sky with her eyes closed. Even her profile is beautiful, and he admits as far as female contemporaries go, they chose well for their Plan B. Bailong in his adult form follows silently behind him, staring at the large crane that is Meng Ziyi’s daemon the entire way. The creature has been in its bowed position ever since Bailong realised Yibo’s intention and searched the daemon out.

She is watching her daemon cowering, knowing the confrontation is close. A daemon will manifest if they believe their human is in danger. She feels a frisson of fear and yet her daemon does not budge from its position. Either it knows she is not in danger or it is too afraid of the danger that is coming for her.

She is certain it is the former but you never know with daemons.

“Meng Laoshi?”

She turns and her breath catches. In the early evening light, surrounded by fake braziers, Wang Yibo has transformed into the teenaged Lan Wangji so easily she can almost believe this is actually him come to life. He is staring at her with serious eyes that glint gold, reflecting the firelight the cast had set up to check in relation to the harsh artificial lighting. There is a glow to him that she suspects is part natural, part lighting, and in part something to do with the very large predator looming behind him whose eyes are an identical shade of gold.

“Wang Laoshi,” she murmurs. 

Yibo stares at the beautiful woman. She isn’t much shorter than he is and he can tell that she is afraid but she stands her ground and he admires her for it. 

“I know what happened while I was away, and I’m sorry you were caught up in it.”

Ziyi blinks at the younger man, uncertain if her ears are deceiving her.

“You…you are sorry?”

Yibo nods and takes another step closer. He’s way out of his comfort zone here but he doesn’t want there to be ill-feelings between them. He doesn’t like what happened but unless she had insisted on having more scenes or had a hand in any of the orchestrations that led to the testing out of Plan B, he has nothing against her.

“I know we don’t have many scenes but I hope we can work together and make sure this is a success so the PDs don’t have to worry anymore,” he smiles wryly, unaware of its affect on the older woman. “At least if it’s a success, whoever caused this problem will feel some regret at attempting to change the production.” His smile eases off. “Will you help me?”

She nods mutely, seeing her daemon finally returning to a standing position. “Yes, of course. Thank you for understanding.”

He shakes his head. “Nothing to thank me for. It was probably my shortcomings anyway.” Suddenly feeling a little awkward, he strokes down the front of his robes and looks around. “I better get back before he starts looking for me.”

Ziyi speaks as he turns away. “For what it’s worth, he refused any contact.”

Yibo stops and turns back to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“Xiao Laoshi…he knew what the PDs wanted and he told them he would act it but they cannot make him actually do it. So we…we faked it for the camera. There was no contact.”

“I see.”

She smiles at the flash of confusion in his eyes. “I hope you do. The two of you are beautiful together.”

“Uh…th-thank you. I think,” he laughs self-consciously. “Thank you for the…the chat. I’ll see you later.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply, turning on his heels and striding off quickly back in the direction of the dressing rooms.

His daemon stares at her for a few more seconds before he too turns away, following after Yibo.

“Was he threatening you?”

She turns with a start to find her ‘brother’ staring at the now-vacant path.

“How long have you been there?”

He shakes his head. “Only long enough to see his daemon walking off. Was he here too? What happened?”

“Nothing.” She knows Yu Bin doesn’t believe her judging from his face but considering everything that could have happened, what actually happened was genuinely nothing. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Sure,” he replies easily, offering his arm to her as they walk back together. “Anything for my pretty jiejie.”

“Stop it,” she hits him lightly. “It’s a question about daemons. Did you hear the lady was cancelled?”

“Not quite cancelled, just that the PDs are apparently arranging for someone else to talk to us about their daemons because she wasn’t qualified or something.”

Ziyi hums. They are walking slowly, both of them in their Wen red robes. “Did your daemon talk to you about what happened this morning?”

He shakes his head. “No, but whatever it was alarmed her and I could feel it but after the second roar, she calmed down.”

“She shouldn’t be scared.”

“Yours talked to you?”

“A little. Mine can speak to me if it feels it really has to as it involves too much energy apparently.”

“Did yours tell you anything?”

She nods. “Mine said…word for word… _There is nothing to fear if Baidi is obeyed._ ”

“Obeyed? That’s all it said?” Yu Bin frowns. “Wait, but if he is disobeyed then we have to fear? So if he says jump we jump?”

“I don’t think it’s quite that literal. Mine can send feelings too and I didn’t feel fear at all. It was more like respect and reassurance. There was also a second part.”

“I hope it’s something a little more than a general order to obey,” Yu Bin grumbles quietly.

“Again, word for word - _protect the mate_.”

“The mate?” Yu Bin looks up, eyes searching. “As in, Xiao Zhan? Or Chidi? This is fucking confusing.”

“Xiao Laoshi. Daemons don’t mate though it probably seems like they do.”

“How do you know?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know how, but I just know. I think my daemon fed the information to me without actually saying it.”

“What level is your daemon?”

“8.”

“Above average then. Mine’s 9. I can sense her emotions but that’s about it. Level 10 must be frustrating.”

“I wonder what level their daemons are.”

—

“Wang Laoshi.”

“Are we starting?”

“I literally just called you and you ask if I’m starting?” Xiao Zhan protests, pouting slightly though Yibo can’t see it.

Yibo smirks while flicking through his phone. “The tone of your voice told me you’re up to no good.”

It is getting quite late and the moon is out and very bright. The skies are still cloudless and it is a beautiful night in general. He has already snapped a few shots and with the various phones out in the hands of the rest of the cast and crew, he knows he isn’t the only one. In fact, so inspired were the PDs that they want to attempt some rooftop shots after the group test shots had turned out so well and the crew are busy preparing the harnesses while Yibo and Xiao Zhan rest. Like everyone else though, they are outside taking photos of the moon.

“I feel victimised!

Yibo finally looks over at the slightly pouting man. “I’m sure that feeling is self-inflicted. Fine, fine, what do you want?”

“What are you doing?”

Yibo rolls his eyes and points at his phone and then at Xiao Zhan’s, and then at most of the people around them whose phones are still held towards the sky. “Same as everyone else. The moon is beautiful.”

“You are more.”

Yibo chokes on nothing, his ears burning and the heat crawls across his cheeks. 

Beside him, the slumbering Bailong lifts his head up and looks at Yibo. “Happy?”

He starts clearing his throat as he crouches down and pets his daemon. “Happy. Yes, the moon is beautiful.”

“Not about that,” Bailong closes his eyes and his head droops onto his front paws as he nuzzles the sleeping Zhulong next to him. “You’re never that happy about the moon.”

“Honestly, if I knew this whole thing meant _nothing_ would ever be a secret, then…” he trails off.

“Second thoughts?” Xiao Zhan enquires quietly.

Yibo looks over, hoping his hair covers his ears because he can definitely feel the heat in them. “Just not used to it. Remember I told you I’m blunt but he’s worse?” He chuckles when Xiao Zhan nods. “Well, welcome to worse.”

“Have you met my daemon?” 

Yibo’s self-deprecating chuckle turns lighter. “Yes, I know. They really make a pair don’t they?” 

He turns his gaze down towards the daemons asleep on a cushion they had borrowed. The group scenes had taken longer than expected and both daemons had dozed off while waiting, likely hit by the food coma after their late dinner. Yibo and Xiao Zhan had carried the cushion carefully between them as they moved to the next location and they know many people wondered what the hell they were doing. They could have easily woken both daemons and asked them to sleep in timeout but both of them had an unspoken need to have their daemons close and had worked together without needing to articulate it into words. 

“I like it.”

Yibo chews on his lip for a moment before replying shyly without looking up. “I like it too.”

He hears a snapshot but he doesn’t look up, still gazing down at their daemons. His hand itches to stroke Zhulong too, and after a few seconds of hesitation he gives in. Everyone is busy looking at the moon anyway. 

Xiao Zhan sucks in a sharp breath at the first contact, but Yibo doesn’t look up at the sound.

His hand is light, stroking the small white bunny from its head right down to its bushy little tuft of a tail. The movement is slow, very slow, because he doesn’t want to wake Zhulong just to satisfy his own crawling need to touch.

Zhulong’s fur tickles his palm and he hears another snapshot. And another. 

He isn’t aware of the tiny smile that tugs at his lips. 

He isn’t aware that it is not just Xiao Zhan taking photos of him, though the others snapping him take care to keep Zhulong and Bailong out of the shot.

They keep Xiao Zhan in it though, especially after he has dropped his phone.

“Yibo…” his voice is hoarse, struggling to swallow as he watches the younger man treat his daemon so tenderly that it resonates so deeply in his chest that if he were to dive in after the feeling, he thinks it might just be bottomless.

Yibo’s smile brightens at the sound of his name and he finally looks up, eyes glowing the gold of his daemon. “Zhan-ge,” his voice is practically reverential. “It feels like I’m stroking a cloud. He’s so soft.”

Bailong stirs and with him, Zhulong. They stay prone though, blinking at each other.

“Gege? You too?” Bailong whispers to his companion.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Zhulong replies quietly. “I’d literally be making a rainbow right now if it wasn’t nighttime.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“Maybe tomorrow if he feels like this again.”

“We can make one together. Yibo is bursting with it.”

Zhulong hums, peeking at the two humans, both too busy staring at each other. “I think the only way we can sleep is in timeout.”

“I know, but they want us here.”

“I mean later.”

“Okay, gege.”

—

“You promised.” Bailong growls, glaring at the exhausted man picking at the tiny bits of glue still stuck to his temple that he missed in his shower.

Several cast members already done with their costume removal and are just sitting around waiting for the bus, eye the full-grown lion warily. Yibo is in the shower, Zhulong with him to help heal some cuts he doesn’t want anyone to know about. Xiao Zhan knows, but only because the daemon tattled.

“Yibo first when he gets out,” Xiao Zhan whispers tiredly. 

“Gege has Yibo.”

“Are you sure?”

Bailong’s hackles rise and he bristles so alarmingly that his growls cause several people to move away including Yu Bin, Meng Ziyi, Ji Li and Zhu Zanjin.

Xiao Zhan apologises immediately, standing up and putting a hand on the furious daemon’s flank. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he bows in three directions. “He won’t hurt you. He’s mad at me.”

Ji Li exchanges glances with Yu Bin who is looking worried. Zhuocheng fidgets in his seat, looking over at Lulu who shakes her head at him mouthing _leave it_.

“Are you going to let me now?” Bailong changes his tone to the one only Yibo would have been able to hear but he knows Xiao Zhan can now too.

“Can we wait till Yibo gets out?”

“No. You’re about one minute away from collapsing and if Yibo comes out and finds you like that, he’ll give me hell and so will gege. Both of us left the two of you alone all day but that wire work really did a number on you. Yibo is fine, just a little cut up and gege can take care of him. Now sit down and let me take care of you.”

Xiao Zhan groans, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose but that was a mistake as he sways on his feet, suddenly extremely lightheaded. 

Several muffled sounds occur in different parts of the room as the large predator raises on his hind legs to steady their lead actor. 

They watch as the lion somehow manoeuvres Xiao Zhan into the chair next to him before shrinking and hopping into his lap. Xiao Zhan’s head is listing to the side and he is unaware of the baleful look the little cub sends round the room. Everyone looks away the second his golden eyes land on them.

Satisfied that the room is secured to his liking, Bailong crawls under Xiao Zhan’s hoodie and lays against his heart.

—

In the bathroom, Yibo presses a hand to his heart, eyes wide and startled. 

Zhulong is watching the abrasions closing with a critical eye and he looks up when he hears Yibo’s indrawn breath.

“My heart feels weird.”

Zhulong closes his eyes for a few seconds. “Xiao Zhan is exhausted. Bailong is taking care of him. He’s matching your hearts because it’s the quickest way.”

Yibo exhales through his mouth slowly before straightening and rolling down the leg of his track pants. “We should get out. Will you be able to heal him quicker?”

“He doesn’t need healing. Not really. Bailong knows what to do.”

Yibo says nothing, watching the phoenix return to the familiar white bunny. He scoops the daemon up and Zhulong scrabbles into the opening of his hoodie making him laugh. 

—

“Baidi healed Xiao Zhan didn’t he?”

“It looks that way.”

“I really don’t understand this. How is that possible?”

“Your motto is attempt the impossible.”

“Very funny.”

“And their daemons are swapped.”

“We have eyes too. That baby lion is smug as hell being carried by Zhan Zhan.”

“My aunt has a corporeal daemon and her husband has one too and they’re not this close and they’ve been married over twenty years.”

“Well, I guess when you click, you click.”

“They didn’t click, they snapped together and bonded like fucking superglue.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“Did you see Yibo’s eyes?”

“Yeah, I heard the PDs are thrilled. There’s no way in hell they’re going to try and change the storyline now.”

“Chidi’s eyes flicker red sometimes, have you seen it? I wonder if Xiao Zhan can do the same thing during the Yiling Laozu scenes.”

“You bet they’re going to ask in any case.”

—

Most of them practically sleepwalk to their rooms. Being the most alert ones of the group, Xiao Zhan and Yibo separate to make sure their cast mates get back safely at least. It is well after two in the morning and while they are tired too, their bodies no longer hurt though to be fair, their bodies also took the largest battering of the cast.

Yibo gets back first, clearing the rubbish from his bag as Zhulong sniffles around looking for a snack.

“Are you still hungry?”

“Maybe. Healing is hard work.”

“What do you want?” Yibo pulls out a duffle bag stuffed full of snacks. 

“Those vegetable crisps look good.”

Yibo scrunches his nose. “They’re noisy too. Can you pick something quieter? Carrot cake?”

Zhulong huffs and grabs the bag of crisps. “We are definitely not staying the night. I’ll sleep with Bailong in his timeout.”

“Gege?” Bailong’s voice is bright. Too bright for the time of night and Xiao Zhan is not even in the room before the little cub licks his cheek, his universal cue to be let down and Xiao Zhan does, watching the tiny thing scamper down the hallway and tackle Zhulong making them tumble head over heels.

The daemons’ giggles echo in the room and Xiao Zhan is smiling as he rearranges their shoes. Yibo had kicked his off and he lines them up before checking that the door is locked.

“Bailong, do you want a snack too?” Yibo pulls out a packet of beef jerky. “Teriyaki or smoked?”

“Wasn’t there spicy?”

“That’s for Zhan-ge.”

Bailong pouts but the effect is ruined when he starts giggling three seconds after his half-hearted attempt. “Teriyaki please.”

Xiao Zhan takes the packet Yibo is holding out, opening it and taking out a piece to feed the very happy cub.

Zhulong silently hands him his bag of crisps too and Xiao Zhan does the same while Yibo repacks the food.

The first loud crunch makes Yibo huff. “You see how loud it is?”

“We’re not staying anyway.” Zhulong turns to Bailong. “Yours or mine?”

“You pick, gege.” Bailong opens his mouth wide for another piece of jerky, beaming at Xiao Zhan when he’s fed again.

Zhulong’s nose twitches and he looks up at Xiao Zhan. “Yours then.”

“Is there a reason why you prefer staying with Bailong?” Yibo asks curiously. “This isn’t the first time.”

“He’s stronger,” Zhulong shrugs. 

Bailong hops into Yibo’s lap. “Good night.” He licks Yibo’s chin, making him laugh. “Be good.” He turns to Xiao Zhan and waves cutely with a paw. “You be good too.”

Zhulong just waves at both humans. “Good night.” 

They both disappear, the packets of snacks Xiao Zhan is holding along with them.

“Do you know what he means by _he’s stronger_?”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “Zhulong likes being cryptic sometimes. It could mean absolutely nothing or quite literally because he is technically stronger being a predator versus prey.”

“Right.” Yibo wipes his chin and grumbles. “I also smell like teriyaki now. Great. I’m gonna wash my face. Do you need to take your contacts out?”

Xiao Zhan nods. “Yeah, but you can go first.”

“Why can’t we go together? I’m washing my face and you’re taking out your contacts then hopefully, we’re both brushing our teeth,” he laughs and walks towards the bathroom. “The quicker we finish, the quicker we can go to bed.”

He stands silently, following the younger man to the bathroom. He’s not really sure if he wants to get to bed that quickly especially without their daemons nearby. If he calls Zhulong back, he will never hear the end of it.

—

Despite Xiao Zhan’s concerns, they complete their ablutions without incident. In fact, both of them navigating the bathroom together had been so ridiculously domestic that Xiao Zhan is still feeling warm from it. 

He is replying to messages he had ignored most of the day and night when Yibo speaks.

“With or without?”

Xiao Zhan looks up to see Yibo holding a fresh hoodie up and his brow furrows marginally. “What do you mean? Are you going out again?” 

Yibo chuckles. “To sleep with.”

“Oh,” Xiao Zhan returns his attention to his phone, not really sure why Yibo is asking him in the first place. “Whatever you prefer.”

Yibo narrows his eyes slightly. “I’m asking because I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Xiao Zhan holds up a finger, indicating for Yibo to wait while he finishes his messages. He is distracted and while Bailong had leeched most of his exhaustion away along with the ache in his waist and back, his mind is still a little cloudy from the long day. He notices Yibo moving out of the corner of his eye but he doesn’t look up.

Settling at the foot of their bed and leaning against _The Wall_ , Yibo waits, stretching his legs out with a muffled groan. He stares at Xiao Zhan’s face, the little expressions he makes and the way he mouths the message he is typing. He must have dozed off because the next thing he knows, Xiao Zhan is shaking him gently, eyes soft and apologetic.

“Baobao, I’m sorry.”

Yibo pouts, his eyes drifting closed. “Not a baby.” He hears the cute giggle that Xiao Zhan makes when he’s really tickled or nervous and the corner of his mouth curves up and he opens his eyes again. “You’re baobao.”

“I’m older.”

“Means nothing.” Yibo replies firmly before lifting up the hoodie in his lap. “With or without?”

Xiao Zhan turns to their bed, staring at the wide expanse, wondering if it will be _safe_ to say without. Even as he thinks it, the way he had thought about had already made the decision for him. If safety is the concern, he will always be safe with Yibo.

“Without.”

The appearance of that mischievous smirk might have given him a moment of hesitation but Yibo’s eyes are shining with happiness that he stifles the feeling. 

Yibo tosses the hoodie recklessly, making Xiao Zhan huff and turn to pick it up and fold it neatly.

“Please, Zhan-ge. Your dorm was a pigsty. I’m not messy and even I don’t care about that hoodie.”

“You will care in the morning,” Xiao Zhan replies, folding the bulky hoodie as neatly as he can. He turns just in time to see Yibo grabbing the scruff of his teeshirt and pulling it off over his head.

Mind blank, only Yibo. 

The younger man smirks and tosses the teeshirt at Xiao Zhan who catches it and may or may not have accidentally done something with it.

Yibo’s eyes are wide. “Did you…did you just sniff my teeshirt?”

Xiao Zhan tosses the article of clothing away like it’s on fire and leaps facedown onto _his side_ of the bed and hides under a pillow though it does nothing to muffle the laughter of the younger man. Such a brat.

He changes into a clean pair of track pants before switching off the remaining light on the desk. His breath hitches in the darkness but the night is bright and the curtains are open. He uses his phone to navigate his way to his side of the bed, focusing stubbornly on the pathetic light. He’ll be fine when he gets into bed. It’ll be dark when he closes his eyes anyway. He glances at Xiao Zhan’s prone body, the man still hasn’t moved and Yibo wouldn’t be surprised if he had fallen asleep right there. He is still wearing the jeans from earlier and he doesn’t think Xiao Zhan would appreciate him trying to take them off for him. There’s no way he would like to sleep in the clothes he had been in and out of most of the day but Yibo is not shameless enough to strip someone just like that. If it were one of the UNIQ guys he might have tipped him out of bed and told him to sort himself out but this is Xiao Zhan. 

The room is cool, not overly so and fully clothed and sleeping on the covers is probably almost the same as barely clothed under the covers. Yibo crawls under the covers with a stifled groan, the entire day finally crashing down on him the second his head hits the pillow. 

Yibo pulls out his phone from his pocket and scrambles quickly when he notices the time, picking the first gifs he finds in one of the folders in his albums.

_**02:23 Good night, Zhan-ge** _

He closes his eyes tightly before he looks away from his phone so the last thing he sees is the bright screen and not the darkened room. Shivering slightly though not from the cold, Yibo burrows under the covers and places his phone between the wall and his pillow. He wants to reach out and touch Xiao Zhan if only to reassure himself the man is there next to him in the darkness. It takes him three tries before he manages to reach out far enough to touch some body part. It feels like an arm.

An arm that moves away.

Yibo bites the covers and a quiet whine escapes his throat before he can stop it. He shouldn’t have turned out the light. He should have remembered to turn on the bathroom light. However Xiao Zhan is the nearest to both lights and he will have trouble sleeping with it on. Yibo will be fine if he can feel the person next to him but that person moved away.

The prick of tears frustrates him and he rubs his eyes against his pillow, feeling the wetness. He sniffles, blood roaring in his ears and his heartbeat speeds up. 

Xiao Zhan knows something is wrong. The room is dark which in itself is already wrong. He had felt Yibo grazing his elbow as he got up to take off his clothes and then the sound he made a few seconds later stops Xiao Zhan in the middle of unbuttoning his jeans.

He pulls off his teeshirt and crawls back over the covers in his half unbuttoned jeans. Yibo is under the covers up to his ears, with his face pressed into his pillow. He hesitates for a moment at announcing his presence because maybe Yibo had fallen asleep and the sound wasn’t what he thought it was.

That thought vanishes in a puff when he hears a very clear, wet, sniffle.

Yibo jerks when Xiao Zhan places his hand on the back of his neck and then a sound very much like the first one he heard escapes again.

“Hey…sweetie…puppy, what’s wrong?” Xiao Zhan stretches out fully on his side and coaxes Yibo to turn towards him. “Do you want Bailong? Shall I call Zhulong to call him?”

Yibo shakes his head, feeling really pathetic. He does turn his head but he keeps his eyes clenched shut.

Xiao Zhan moves his hand to Yibo’s cheek and feels the dampness and his heart aches. He reaches back blindly for his own pillow, lining it up next to Yibo’s and lays on it, his thumb caressing the younger man’s damp cheekbone.

“Zhan-ge…”

“I’m here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I don’t like the dark and usually I’m okay because Bailong but…”

“Do you want him here?”

Yibo shakes his head, clenching his eyes tighter as he breathes through his mouth because his nose is a little blocked from his short spate of tears. “Just…I just need to know someone is here.”

“I’m here.” Xiao Zhan moves his hand to sift through Yibo’s hair, scratching lightly at his scalp as he does. “I’m here…I’m not going anywhere. I can also turn the bathroom light on if you want? I’m okay with it on.”

He shakes his head again. “No…no, you’re good. It’s okay. I just…” his words hitch in his throat and he clears it. “You moved away and I just…” he can feel a tear spill over and he honestly feels like a child. He can count on one hand the number of times he has slept without Bailong. “I just need to know someone is here with me…”

Xiao Zhan is honestly _thisclose_ to sending Zhulong in his dragon form to hunt down the reprehensible person who made Yibo go through the test at thirteen that left him traumatised enough that at twenty, he still cannot sleep alone in the dark. He leans forward and presses a kiss to Yibo’s forehead. 

“I need to get out of my jeans but i’ll be back okay? Just count to 10. I promise I’ll be back before you reach 10. Count out loud.”

Yibo nods and starts to count, feeling Xiao Zhan pressing another kiss to his forehead before pulling away.

Xiao Zhan makes quick work of the jeans. He grabs the spare pillow and lines it up against the wall behind Yibo. It will offer some protection at least if Yibo turns into it although there is quite a large gap already as Yibo is practically in the space that they had filled with socks to join their beds.

“Eight.” 

He slides under the covers and reaches out.

Yibo flinches as a cold hand comes into contact with his side and he muffles an expletive.

Xiao Zhan chuckles. “I’m sorry. You run too hot, everything at a lower temperature feels cold.”

“Zhan-ge…” 

Yibo’s voice is a pathetic whine and Xiao Zhan laughs affectionately. 

“Warm my hands then. Hold my hands.”

“It’s okay. You can…you can warm your hands on my body.”

“Wang Laoshi is so forward.”

“Xiao Laoshi is more,” Yibo reaches out and places a large hand on a bare thigh making Xiao Zhan squeal but he doesn’t move away. “You see? At least I’m wearing pants.”

In retaliation, Xiao Zhan places both hands on Yibo’s abdomen and belly laughs when he feels the muscles contract under his hands as Yibo hisses loudly at the contact.

“Serves you right.”

Yibo sneaks a finger under an elasticised band and snaps it making Xiao Zhan yelp and move to get away from the pain, surging forward and against Yibo. 

“Who’s forward now?”

“You really are remarkably wretched you know that? This is how you pay back kindness?” Despite his words, Xiao Zhan is relaxing against Yibo’s heated frame, his hands trapped between their bodies.

“Thank you, Zhan-ge for being so kind and wonderful. Zhan-ge’s face value is so high but his inner value is even higher. Zhan-ge is—” A hand cuts off the rest of his words.

“Don’t you dare lick me.” Xiao Zhan growls half a second before Yibo does exactly that. 

His palm is over his mouth after all. It’s practically an invitation.

“Fuck!” Xiao Zhan yanks his hand away and wipes it on the covers.

“When?” Yibo’s hand slips around Xiao Zhan’s waist and squeezes.

He freezes and the second he does, Yibo’s hand slides away. 

“S-slow. Yibo, I said slow remember?” God, he can barely remember. He can feel Yibo’s heart beating steadily under his hand, the pace picking up slightly. He exhales slowly, carefully, feeling like he should take his hand off the younger man’s body but it’s like the heat has melded them together. Yibo’s self-restraint is far stronger than his it seems for the man has already taken his hand away.

“ _When_ doesn’t equate to _now_ ,” Yibo’s voice is vaguely amused. “Unless that’s what you were thinking.” He leans forward till they are nose to nose. “Were you?”

Xiao Zhan’s hand curls, nails scratching lightly. “Shut up.”

“You were, weren’t you? Zhan-ge…” 

Yibo chuckles and Xiao Zhan’s body reacts further and he pushes himself away, turning to press his unrestrained body against the mattress. 

“Stop it. We need to sleep.” _Why does he sound so breathless?_

“If we didn’t need to sleep?” 

“Yibo, please.”

“I’m honestly not trying to be difficult.” Yibo rolls away and onto his back staring up into the darkness. “I don’t know how these things work so I have to ask. I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

Xiao Zhan turns into his pillow and groans long and low. How did he end up with a 20 year old who moves like a sex god but is more than likely a virgin? Actually, not more than likely. He probably is. He’s not going to ask but he is well and truly screwed in any case.

He sighs into his pillow. He’s not going to leave Yibo feeling like shit because he’s the one who can’t control his hormones. Despite the teasing, Yibo always backs off when he senses Xiao Zhan getting uncomfortable and he wishes he had half the younger man’s restraint. As it is, he has to rely on him to be the “good” one. Perhaps Bailong’s ritualistic _be good_ is more than what it sounds. Yibo uses it too.

Pushing himself up, he looks over at the still form of the younger man. “Tell me no if this is too much,” he warns before he moves across to lay his head on Yibo’s pillow, gritting his teeth as his arousal comes into contact with a hard thigh. Yibo doesn’t move or react and he splays his hand high on Yibo’s chest, his finger catching the metal barbell and Yibo sucks in a harsh breath.

Xiao Zhan moves his finger away but he keeps his hand where it is. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Yibo marvels for a second at how he managed to sound so _normal_ when he feels anything but. He can feel Xiao Zhan’s hardness pressing against him. He was only at half mast until the accidental touch had tipped his body over and suddenly his skin feels too tight. 

“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan’s voice is quiet. “I am answering your question and I promise I’m not doing it to tease, okay? I can feel your heart beating like crazy and all you have to do is tell me no and I will move back to my half of the bed.”

“No halves.”

“What?”

“There’s no your half and my half. It’s just our bed.” 

There is a tinge of stubbornness in his voice that makes Xiao Zhan’s heart flop in his chest and he groans against Yibo’s shoulder, pressing his mouth against it. “You really are Wang Tiantian huh?”

“How did you know?”

“I have my ways.”

“Stalker-ge.”

“Does that make you stalker-di?” Xiao Zhan replies archly.

“You win.”

“You’re conceding so quickly?”

“Zhan-ge…you’re practically naked and pressed against me. I think I already won the main prize I don’t need the consolation prizes.”

Xiao Zhan’s hand is quicker than his brain, slapping the younger man across the chest and regretting it immediately when Yibo cries out in pain.

“Sorry, sorry. Ugh! Why do you make me do this?”

Yibo’s pout can be heard in his voice. “I am just _innocently_ lying here and I get attacked. I’m not making you do anything. My hands are not even touching you. You’re touching me.”

He sighs and nuzzles Yibo’s shoulder. “As usual, you are right. It’s like my brain left the second you took off your teeshirt.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m sure you will,” Xiao Zhan mouths over a bicep and pretends to bite.

“Why do you like biting me?”

“Why did Lan Zhan bite Wei Ying in the cave?”

“That’s not in the script, is it? If it’s the book, I don’t think I’m there yet.”

“Neither am I. It’s in the book not the script. Shijie told me you bit me.”

“I’m not Lan Zhan.”

Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes in the darkness. “Alright, Shijie said Lan Zhan bites Wei Ying in the cave.”

“Wei Ying is annoying as fuck. I’m sure he was being his usual aggravating self.”

“Hey!”

“You chose to play him.”

“And you chose to play Lan Wangji.”

“Yes, I did and I’m fine with it. I stand by my reason for Lan Zhan biting Wei Ying. He must have been driven mad with annoyance being stuck in a cave with someone who doesn’t know when to shut up.”

“And biting is the answer?” Xiao Zhan is aghast and he actually raises himself up, leaning over Yibo to try and make out his features in the darkness. “You seriously think it’s justifiable to bite someone because they annoyed you?”

“Compared to being bitten for apparently existing? The way you bit me this morning?”

“Touché.” Xiao Zhan slumps over Yibo’s chest. “God, I’m a fucking mess.”

“Why did you bite me?”

“You smell too good.”

“So if you smell like…I don’t know…food. I would bite you too?”

“Do you want to bite me?”

Yibo considers the question seriously and it takes him awhile to answer. Xiao Zhan is fine to wait, wrapping his arm around Yibo’s waist and nuzzling against the warm skin of his chest. 

“I want a lot of things and while I’ve never considered biting anyone, I…” he hesitates, heat blooming across his cheeks and he is thankful for the darkness. “I did like it when you bit me this morning and if it feels good for you too then…” he pauses again, shifting slightly to try and tilt his crotch towards the wall because it will not take much for Xiao Zhan to feel him. “Then I would like to bite you.”

Xiao Zhan’s ears are buzzing and he says the same thing he always says. “Tell me no.”

Moving up, digging his clothed erection against Yibo’s hip, Xiao Zhan sinks his teeth into the flesh of Yibo’s shoulder, sucking and licking at the heat that is driving him crazy. 

Yibo gasps. The pain is brief but the heat is feral and it spreads and spreads and spreads. He palms his cock, hissing at the contact before moving to wrap both hands around Xiao Zhan’s waist. He doesn’t know if he’s supposed to push or pull. He wants to pull the man closer and he does, back arching slightly and the angle must have done something for Xiao Zhan because his mouth gets wilder as he latches on properly.

The second, third, fourth spark of pain and pleasure sear into Yibo’s senses and he moans, squeezing his hands tightly until Xiao Zhan pulls back, breathing heavily.

“Yibo?”

“Zhan-ge…”

“You can bite me if you want.”

Yibo doesn’t need anything more than that, he surges up, flipping them over and covering Xiao Zhan with his heated body, mouth already against his throat.

“Mine,” he mouths against the warm skin, nuzzling against the rabbiting pulse. He waits until he gets the answering hum before he opens his mouth right over Xiao Zhan’s racing pulse and he bites.

Sucking and licking, he imitates what Xiao Zhan did to him, remembering the crawling heat and bolts of electricity that shoot through his body at each pull against his skin and he wants to give it back and more. Xiao Zhan is moving beneath him, arching into him, and he presses down, sucking harder, making the man groan deeply.

The sound breaks through the haze in his mind and he stops, lifting himself up to peer down at the older man. 

“Gege?”

“You’re killing me.”

Yibo moves away immediately and Xiao Zhan catches him before he moves completely off him, tugging him back. 

“But you said—”

“I say a lot of things. I’m also an idiot without a minder right now and I’m starting to think that’s a very bad idea.”

“I don’t know what time it is, but it’s definitely too late for you to be this confusing. Please speak plainly.” Yibo sighs and drops his head and body and nuzzles against Xiao Zhan, careful to keep as much of his weight off the other man as he can. His body is hard as a rock but at the same time, he suddenly feels overwhelmed and just…it’s too much. He doesn’t want to hurt Xiao Zhan.

“You’re killing me because you learn way too fast.”

“You know I’m a fast learner,” Yibo grumbles against the man’s throat. 

Xiao Zhan’s laughter is a little choked. “Yes, well you learn fast and then you do it better. That’s what kills me.”

Yibo lifts his head again. “Did I do it wrong?”

“Did you hear what I said? I just said you learn fast and you do it _better_.”

“Better than what?” Yibo leans away, eyes narrowing. “Better than _who_?”

“Huh?” Now it is Xiao Zhan who is confused when Yibo rolls off him and back to his original position, staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I,” Xiao Zhan moves to fit himself against Yibo’s side again. The younger man is holding himself very stiffly now and he’d crack a joke if it wasn’t for the fact that Yibo genuinely seems upset. “What’s wrong?”

“You said I’m better. Who were you comparing me with?”

Xiao Zhan scratches his cheek, still confused. “Me. I was talking about me. You did what I did but you did it better.”

“How can you tell? I really don’t understand. Did you bite yourself?”

He takes a deep breath. Yibo is sounding extremely put out. “I am not comparing you to anyone else, okay? No one has ever bitten me.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

Mollified but still a little confused, Yibo persists in his questions. “Then…I still don’t understand. How do you know it’s better if you have nothing to compare to?”

“What did you like when I bit you?”

“All of it.”

Xiao Zhan’s skin is crawling, but in a good way and he really wants to bite Yibo again. Or be bitten. Whatever way works for him.

“Okay, but what did you like best?”

“I think…maybe the sucking.”

“That’s why you were better.” He pulls himself higher up Yibo’s body so he is leaning over Yibo’s face. He nuzzles their noses together before continuing to speak. “I’ve never been bitten right? So I don’t know what feels good. I just wanted to bite you. Everything else came later. You liked the sucking so you did more of it on me and it felt very good. Your biting was less bite, more sucking and I didn’t want you to stop.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“Did Lan Zhan bite Wei Ying like that?”

Xiao Zhan bursts out laughing, shaking his head as he slides back down a little and rests his head on Yibo’s shoulder.

“I highly doubt it. Shijie made a face like a wince when she told me so I’m guessing it was an actual bite.”

“Then I’m right.”

“About?”

“He bit Wei Ying because he was being an annoying brat.”

“Why are we back here again?” Xiao Zhan complains, poking at a hard abdominal muscle.

“I just want you to admit that he bit Wei Ying because he’s annoying.”

“Why couldn’t he have wanted to bite Wei Ying because he likes him?”

“You don’t bite to hurt if you like someone.”

“Maybe Wei Ying likes the pain.”

“Do you?”

Xiao Zhan chokes and lifts his head up. “Excuse me?”

“Like pain. Do you like pain?”

“Wang Yibo! What kind of question is this?”

Yibo hums thoughtfully, manoeuvring his arm until it sits comfortably around Xiao Zhan. “You know, I’ve noticed you protest when the answer is yes or at least close to it.”

Xiao Zhan sputters indignantly, his entire body in flames. “I do not like pain!”

“You don’t dislike it. You wouldn’t have said that about Wei Ying out of nowhere. It would have made more sense if you said _maybe Lan Zhan likes the pain_ since he was the one doing the biting but you said Wei Ying.”

“Don’t you think you’re overanalysing this?”

“Just tell me if I’m right and I’ll stop dissecting your bedroom preferences.”

“Wang Yibo! Are you fucking human?”

Yibo shrugs and palms Xiao Zhan’s ass, making the older man yelp. “I don’t have any preferences so I’m a blank slate.” He squeezes his hand around a fleshy curve. “I’m just pointing out that you can write whatever you want on this blank slate.”

Xiao Zhan stares slack jawed at the younger man. Well, whatever he can make out of the younger man’s features. His dick may or may not have twitched and he knows Yibo felt it because he squeezes his ass again, chuckling. Honestly, the audacity.

“Wang Yibo.”

“You didn’t answer my question by the way.”

“What question?” Xiao Zhan asks warily. Yibo is much smarter and way more perceptive than he appears, especially about Xiao Zhan. This is both good and bad especially since his own daemon is more likely in Team Yibo than team Xiao Zhan at this stage. He should probably just get a red nose and call himself a clown and be done with it.

“What if we didn’t have to sleep?”

Xiao Zhan grits his teeth. He is going to answer truthfully and Yibo can make what he wants of it because _nothing is happening tonight_. They can both be in blue ball hell together.

“We do have to sleep.”

“I know but I just want to know what would happen if we didn’t.”

“I’d be teaching you how to fuck me.”

Xiao Zhan is maybe just a teensy bit mollified by the sharp indrawn breath from the younger man. He feels like a tossed salad, body parts all over the bed. His brain somewhere in the bathroom. 

“Don’t teach. Show me.”

Daemons. He needs their daemons. They’re his only hope for maintaining his sanity. They have to take it slow, he doesn’t want this to blow up in their faces and for it to spill over into the drama. Yibo has too much to lose if this project goes badly and Xiao Zhan is not going to be the reason for it. 

He pulls up the covers over their bodies, Yibo helping with his free arm. As he settles down against the younger man who still has his hand palmed inappropriately over his ass, he cups Yibo’s jaw in his hand and leans forward, ghosting their lips together.

“Mark your words, baobei.”

“I always mean what I say.”

Neither of them would be able to tell anyone who kissed who first.

It doesn’t matter anyway.

Not to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> August is Yibo month. I think I’m gonna die daily on twitter…please pray for me lmao.


	7. Of Lan Ribbons and Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the dates are kinda all over the place because idk what got filmed when and in what order and all that jazz and for the plot’s sake, I kept them as they were. I just pick up vague details from Twitter and run with it so just go with it too :P Important thing is they’re married and have two daemons lol.

**_April 21, 2018_ **

**Yu Bin 22:30 So many girls…must be a nice change from the set here huh @Yibo?**

**Ji Li 22:31 Drop it like it’s hot… @Xiao Zhan @Yibo**

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/133025/133025_original.gif)

**Xuan Lu 22:31 Our Lan Wangji is the best!**

**Haikuan 22:32 Oh…**

**Guo Cheng 22:32 OH MY GOD!**

**Guo Cheng 22:33 Wei-qianbei are you seeing this????? @Xiao Zhan**

**Yizhou 22:33 Well this certainly explains a few things.**

**Haikuan 22:34 Da-ge?**

**Zanjin 22:34 Da-ge?**

**Xuan Lu 22:35 Our Lan Wangji is so handsome and cute!**

  
  
  


**Ji Li 22:35 But wait…there’s more! @Xiao Zhan Also Da-ge WHAT exactly are you referring to????????????????**

**Guo Cheng 22:36 RED ALERT! RED ALERT! WHERE IS @Xiao Zhan**

**Peixin 22:36 Holy shit!**

**Fanxing 22:36 HANGUANG JUN!**

**Guo Cheng 22:37 That’s A-Die to you @Fanxing Some Lans get all the luck.**

**Fanxing 22:37 Where’s @Xiao Zhan?**

**Ji Li 22:38 Maybe he already saw this…….**

**Xuan Lu 22:38 A-Ling! Language.**

**Cao Yuchen 22:38 Listen to your mother.**

**Xuan Lu 22:39 Leave it alone @Ji Li**

**Yu Bin 22:39 LOL @Ji Li just maybe?**

**Guo Cheng 22:39 BOOM Jin Lingggggggggg**

**Guo Cheng 22:40 That BOOM was also for @Ji Li**

**Zanjin 22:40 LOL oh my god what is going on. I wash my face and come back to a family tiff. Aiyo A-Ling…**

**Peixin 22:40 Sorry…**

**Peixin 22:40 @Guo Cheng**

**Ji Li 22:41 Sorry Shijie…**

**Ji Li 22:41 @Yizhou Hey you can’t just say something like that and not explain!!!**

**Haikuan 22:41 He certainly moves well and I think I know what Da-ge means.**

**Yu Bin 22:42 You two literally share a room you know.**

**Ji Li 22:42 Er-ge????? SHARE WITH THE CLASS PLEASE.**

**Ji Li 22:43 He’s in the bathroom.**

**Xuan Lu 22:44 Speaking of roommates @Yu Bin where’s @Zhuocheng?**

**Yizhou 22:44 What did I do to get you? Seriously. I must have offended someone important in my past life.**

**Yu Bin 22:44 Bathroom**

**Ji Li 22:44 Da-ge!!!!! Take it back!!!**

**Zhuocheng 22:45 Here, Shijie. Just got out of the shower and catching up.**

**Zhuocheng 22:45 @Yibo looking good! Where’s @Xiao Zhan?**

**Guo Cheng 22:46 Why are you guys messaging from the bathrooms…**

**Ji Li 22:46 Oh @Zhuocheng did you really just ask @Yibo where @Xiao Zhan is?**

**Cao Yuchen 22:47 Pretty sure that was a separate point @Ji Li. How is he supposed to know when he’s not even here?**

**Ji Li 22:47 They with mysterious daemons probably have mysterious ways.**

**Xuan Lu 22:48 You guys know they can read this right?**

**Zhuocheng 22:48 Yeah what the peacock said.**

**Zhuocheng 22:49 And shijie.**

**Zanjin 22:49 So in the interest of changing the subject… Da-ge what did you mean??? @Yizhou**

**Ji Li 22:50 Er-ge said he thinks he knows why didn’t you ask him @Zanjin? All you guys are totally not pulling the roommate card and it shows.**

**Zanjin 22:51 Right back at you @Ji Li**

**Yu Bin 22:52 Well…**

**Haikuan 22:52 Both of you stop it. I think Da-ge was referring to how easy my brother finds the wires because he’s used to moving his body at will.**

**Ji Li 22:53 Huh…is that all?????????**

**Haikuan 22:53 What else did you think it was?**

**Ji Li 22:54 Da-ge please confirm if I’ve been chasing something SO BORING.**

**Xuan Lu 22:54 SO CUTE OUR ZHAN ZHAN**

**Fanxing 22:54 So cute!!!!!!!!!!! Wei-qianbeiiiiiiiii @Xiao Zhan**

**Guo Cheng 22:55 A-Niang to you! @Fanxing please you’re embarrassing us. Stay in character please.**

**Yu Bin 22:56 LMFAO why A-Niang?**

**Guo Cheng 22:56 Well he said he gave birth to him…**

**Meng Ziyi 22:56 Oh so talented Lan Wangji! And that’s cute!**

**Meng Ziyi 22:57 Remember this morning @Yu Bin? He said it again @Xiao Zhan**

**Yu Bin 22:57 I think all the dangling in mid-air affected my hearing @Meng Ziyi**

**Fanxing 22:58 Sorry sorry sorry.**

**Peixin 22:58 Apologise like you mean it, cousin.**

**Zhuocheng 22:59 COUSIN? COUSIN?????????**

**Peixin 22:59 Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean I can’t like it.**

**Xuan Lu 23:00 My son is a good boy. A-Cheng, stop it!**

**Peixin 23:00 Yeah, jiujiu stop it!**

**Zhuocheng 23:01 ……..**

**Fanxing 23:01 I AM SORRY A-DIE AND A-NIANG AND WHOEVER ELSE I HAVE OFFENDED**

**Peixin 23:02 Wooooo @Fanxing #BESTBOY**

**Ji Li 23:02 #BESTBOY**

**Yu Bin 23:02 #BESTBOY**

**Meng Ziyi 23:02 #BESTBOY**

**Haikuan 23:03 #BESTBOY**

**Guo Cheng 23:03 OMG you guys can stop sucking up now!**

**Guo Cheng 23:03 SHIT!!!! Sorry sorry not you Zewu-Jun**

**Guo Cheng 23:04 OMG sorry Qing-jie omg….**

**Yu Bin 23:04 RECYCLED MEMES? Talk about a half-arse apology. What kind of Lan are you?**

**Guo Cheng 23:05 Why the most un-Lan like Lan ever of course.**

**Yu Bin 23:05 I think that title belongs to Wei-gongzi lmao**

**Guo Cheng 23:06 Not in this drama!**

**Haikuan 23:06 I beg to differ…**

**Guo Cheng 23:07 Everyone is against me today.**

**Yizhou 23:07 What else could it have been? @Ji Li**

**Ji Li 23:08 Don’t talk to me @Yizhou B-O-R-I-N-G.**

**Zanjin 23:08 I’m really curious now like were you looking for something in particular? @Ji Li**

**Zhuocheng 23:09 Please don’t encourage him. He’s Nie Huaisang remember??????**

**Zanjin 23:09 Hmmm… I think I might have a look at those gifs again…**

**Ji Li 23:10 PLEASE DO**

**Xuan Lu 23:10 Oh A-Cheng…..what am I going to do with you?**

**Cao Yuchen 23:11 You’ve done it now…**

**Zanjin 23:11 Oh…**

**Ji Li 23:12 YOU SAW?**

**Xuan Lu 23:13 OKAY I AM OFFICIALLY PROCLAIMING THIS TOPIC AT AN END.**

**Haikuan 23:13 I’m with Shijie.**

**Yizhou 23:14 Me too but I still don’t know what the hell is happening.**

**Haikuan 23:14 You don’t need to know. Just trust Shijie.**

**Yizhou 23:15 In Shijie we trust.**

**Cao Yuchen 23:15 Amen.**

—

The incessant dinging from his phone _finally_ rouses Xiao Zhan. Yibo will be back tomorrow morning and they will begin filming their first scenes together. He has an early as hell morning call and had originally collapsed into bed after his shower. He is more emotionally drained than anything having spent most of the day with the ‘Wen remnants’ and filming with them. He will be filming some scenes in the Demon Slaughter Cave with Yibo once they are done with the Cloud Recesses part and he’s feeling just a little wrung out. Additionally, due to his aches and pains, he had moved to the carpeted floor where he lies sprawled, his phone out of reach on the desk.

Yibo had to leave earlier than expected to film Produce 101 since his previous manager had managed to stuff up his schedule. He’s starting to wonder if Yuehua are just as incompetent as his own agency. He can only be thankful that he has Da-Xia at least because he has no idea what he would do without her. Xiao Zhan hopes the incessant dinging means more photos or something. He really misses the younger man. 

He drags himself upright and stretches his arm over the desk, fumbling blindly for his phone. He follows the noise and it takes him awhile. When he finally gets to his phone, he is momentarily blinded by the brightness of the screen.

Expecting to find messages from Yibo, he is sorely disappointed to see that it is the GC that had been blowing up his phone with 100 unread messages.

Groaning in annoyance and disappointment he drops his phone and lays back down on the carpet and calls his daemon.

“Zhulong.”

A few seconds later, he feels a soft paw patting his cheek and he opens his eyes to find the shadowy figure of a familiar daemon staring down at him. 

“Are you okay? Why are you on the floor? Did you fall out of bed?” The little cub moves around his body, patting as he goes as if trying to find any injuries.

He pats his cheek again.

Then his nose.

Then his forehead.

Then his head.

Then he moves back down, patting an ear.

His throat.

He pats his shoulder and then unerringly lands a paw squarely on Xiao Zhan’s right nipple, making him jerk and the cub to giggle.

Xiao Zhan huffs and strokes the baby lion’s head and smiles as it purrs and nuzzles against the side of his bare chest. “Where’s your gege?”

“Here.” Zhulong hops up onto Xiao Zhan’s chest. “I’m going to turn the lights on, okay?”

“Gege, wait!”

The only human in the room gasps quietly when he feels the softest little pads against his eyes. 

“Bailong?”

“Close your eyes, I’ll protect you from the light until you get used to it.”

Xiao Zhan’s body relaxes into the floor. He hears the lights click and then Bailong nuzzles his forehead. 

“Okay, you can open them when I move away. It’ll grow lighter gradually so don’t be alarmed. It’s just me.” Bailong removes his paws from Xiao Zhan’s eyes and watches as the man sits up.

“Mn.” He opens his eyes and he blinks. There’s a thick film of gold overlaying everything as if he is wearing sunglasses with tinted gold or yellow lenses. The room starts off shadowy and then grows lighter as if a layer of the thinnest gold is lifted with each blink. The two daemons and sitting side by side are studying him with differing smiles. Bailong’s is bright and welcoming while Zhulong’s is amused and muted. He gives them a smile of his own, setting down his hands on the ground for each to hop into before hugging them both. “Were both of you in timeout?”

Zhulong curls against his chest and nods. “Yibo is on the plane. He should be landing after midnight.”

“I thought he was flying tomorrow morning?”

“He said _it’s better to sleep late but comfortably than early but uncomfortably_ ,” Bailong parrots back his human word for word.

“Isn’t he staying at a five star hotel? I saw his room,” Xiao Zhan pauses, yawning again. “Gosh I’m smashed. Did he want to surprise me?”

Zhulong huffs and places a paw over his heart, Bailong mirroring him with a paw of his own and together they both refill his depleted energy, snuggling against his chest. Xiao Zhan is much more used to being apart from Zhulong and had insisted on Yibo travelling with both. Yibo had eventually accepted with the sole condition that Zhulong return to Xiao Zhan at least twice a day to heal him or replenish his energy. 

“Are you back to being an idiot or just fishing for compliments?” He grumbles into Xiao Zhan’s hand.

“Head empty. Idiot here.” His eyes flutter closed and he scoots on his butt until he hits the side of the bed, leaning against it, comforted by both daemons.

Bailong rubs his cheek against Xiao Zhan’s chest. “Yibo doesn’t like sleeping without you.” He licks Zhulong’s paw situated next to his over the man’s heart. “And don’t call yourself an idiot. Gege is just being mean.”

“Excuse you.”

“Love you too, gege.”

Zhulong chokes and Xiao Zhan’s eyes fly open and meets Bailong’s stunning golden eyes blinking ever so innocently back at him.

“W-what?”

Bailong beams. “When you called, gege—” 

Xiao Zhan’s jaw drops when his bunny daemon literally dives at Bailong and they both tumble to the ground.

“Zhulong!”

“What?!” Zhulong has both paws over Bailong’s mouth but the cub is larger and he just shakes him off.

“Gege!”

The white rabbit huffs and starts pacing and muttering to himself.

“Bailong? What’s going on?”

“He’s like you. Silly.”

Xiao Zhan scratches his head and stares at the cub who is watching his companion pacing agitatedly, attempting to make a path in the ugly green carpet. He then turns to his daemon who is looking extremely mutinous but also a little…upset?

“Zhulong? What’s wrong?”

“This is your fault you know. If you didn’t keep everything inside I wouldn’t be blurting things out in the middle of eating cereal.”

“It was nice cereal,” Bailong adds cheerfully.

“You.” Zhulong stops mid pace and points a paw at the cub. “Shut up.”

“Say it again and I’ll shut up.” 

The bunny makes a growling sound and continues to pace. Strangely, he is shrinking as he paces and Xiao Zhan has no idea what the heck is going on. When Zhulong comes near enough on his return lap, Xiao Zhan sticks out a hand and blocks any further progress.

“Okay, enough with the theatrics. What’s the matter?”

“You’re the matter. Why couldn’t I get a normal human? Like...someone who didn’t do the opposite of what he wants to do, huh? Huh? Huh?” 

The now very small bunny actually pouts and Xiao Zhan is hard pressed whether to laugh or to remain straight faced because Zhulong looks genuinely put out. 

“Gege.”

Zhulong groans and burrows into Xiao Zhan’s palm, his little ears flicking. 

Xiao Zhan has no idea what is happening but he rather likes his daemon finally acting as cute as he looks and he surreptitiously reaches for his phone. 

“Stop it.”

“But, gege…” 

Xiao Zhan’s eyebrow goes up at the cub’s stickier than sticky voice. He knows daemons don’t form any kind of sexual relationship but they definitely bond and he does not know how deeply it goes. Zhulong is being so cute though and if Bailong brings this out of his sassy daemon than by all means he’s completely down with this.

He aims his camera as the daemon determinedly trying to disappear into his palm somehow. 

Xiao Zhan watches Bailong approach out of the corner of his eyes and the little lion is wearing the pout of all pouts. The cub lifts a paw and pats Zhulong lightly before moving away. He feels the huff of breath against his palm and barely notices just in time that he hadn’t clicked record. He does so as Zhulong peeks out over the top of his palm at the waiting Bailong.

“Love you.” 

Xiao Zhan drops his phone and lets out a high pitched giggle, scooping the embarrassed bunny up and nuzzling it.

Bailong hops up into his lap giggling as well. “Gege is so weird.” He pats Xiao Zhan’s hand asking for some cuddles too.

Zhulong’s sigh is so loud he might as well be in dragon form, tolerating the affection from his human and his companion, effectively nuzzled on both sides. He has nowhere to go.

He sighs again, making Xiao Zhan laugh.

—

Xiao Zhan is back in bed with both daemons curled in the space Yibo usually occupies. 

“Will he know where you are?”

“If he doesn’t see me in timeout he’ll know we’re with you. He should be landing shortly.” Bailong boops Xiao Zhan’s nose. “Do you want us to stay?”

“I don’t want to stay,” Zhulong grumbles. “His stupid is rubbing off on me.”

“Gege, be good.”

Zhulong makes a frustrated sound before falling silent.

“No comeback?” 

“He says I’m stubborn and it’s easier to give in,” Bailong pipes up, laughter lurking in his voice.

“Sounds like someone I know.”

“Indeed.”

Xiao Zhan pets both daemons before turning on his back and picking up his phone. His neck is already starting to tingle and they’re not even asleep yet. He turns to catch Zhulong defiantly spooning the baby lion and he swallows his chuckles. Zhulong is definitely all bark and no bite whatsoever when it comes to Bailong.

**Xiao Zhan 23:57 I was asleep and I don’t know what’s going on…there’s too much to scroll. Can someone give me a summary?**

**Xuan Lu 23:58 Mute this chat Xianxian. We’re sorry we woke you.**

**Fanxing 23:58 Sorry A-Niang T______T**

**Ji Li 23:59 Lan Wangji is hot. That’s the summary. Thank you for attending my TED Talk.**

**Xuan Lu 00:01 Yeah…that was a good summary actually. If your phone auto downloads, the stuff should be in your album but if not, I’ll send them to you separately. You don’t need a plethora of memes.**

**Xiao Zhan 00:01 No auto download for GCs. Thank you, Shijie.**

**Ji Li 00:02 Ugh it’s really disgusting how gorgeous he is. Please leave something for us common folk.**

**Yu Bin 00:02 Wow…**

**Zanjin 00:03 Well, I still think whoever rejected him twice should get their eyes checked. And get second and third opinions.**

**Fanxing: 00:04 Agreed.**

**Guo Cheng 00:04 That’s our Hanguang Jun.**

**Guo Cheng 00:05 Was he the only one who didn’t try for Xue Yang?**

**Zhuocheng 00:06 Trying to sleep here…**

**Yu Bin 00:07 Lies you’re asking me who else tried for Xue Yang.**

**Xuan Lu 00:07 A-Cheng…**

**Yizhou 00:08 Well cast for sure.**

**Zhuocheng 00:08 Shijie! Good night! :D**

**Haikuan 00:09 Brother.**

Xiao Zhan laughs at the messages. Yibo had used that just yesterday and he had been so enraptured he hadn’t even noticed that more messages had come in after that, spending a good few minutes just smiling stupidly at the gif until Yibo had video-called him in exasperation after not getting any replies for five minutes.

Shijie’s messages had auto downloaded but he sends off a message first before he checks it out.

**00:10 Have you landed yet? They let the cat out of the bag so to speak so if you were going to surprise me, consider me surprised. Also what happened here? You’re so cute.**

He quickly goes to check out what she sent and spends a good minute blinking silently at his screen before returning to scroll properly through the group chat.

Xiao Zhan is shaking his head at the messages, alternating between huffing and giggling when his phone vibrates in his hand.

_**00:15 Wow, Zhan-ge. Did you really use my meme? I’m rubbing off on you huh? I think I got air blasted for a wrong answer. I can’t remember the details. Also, COOL not cute grrrrr. Just got in the car and turned my phone on. The flight landed early. I shouldn’t be more than half an hour. Wait up for me?** _

Xiao Zhan laughs quietly. 

**00:17 You should check GC. You appear to have blown everyone’s minds… And yes, both of them gave me an energy boost so I’m quite awake. Did you take a Didi or did Biyu arrange a car?**

_**00:18 It’s the usual car because she thought the daemons would be with me. I’ll check out the GC now.** _

Xiao Zhan isn’t surprised when his phone vibrates with an incoming call a few minutes later.

“Lao Wang.”

“What the heck is going on?” Yibo is still scrolling in disbelief.

“You tell me.”

“You didn’t watch?”

“No. I got back, showered, and passed out. In that order.” Xiao Zhan turns outward, so he doesn’t wake the sleeping daemons. 

Yibo makes a displeased sound. “Next time, Zhulong is staying with you. I don’t know why you think I need two daemons when I’ve gone round with one just fine for twenty years.”

Xiao Zhan hugs the spare pillow and snuggles into it. “Primarily for my peace of mind,” he admits quietly. 

“What about my peace of mind? Your filming is much more taxing than me teaching girls how to dance. Half of them can’t even keep up with each other let alone me. They don’t give me any problems but having two daemons does because people keep whispering about it.” Yibo pulls off his cap and runs his hand through his flattened hair, trying to fluff it up a little. “I really hope you’re fine with being outed like this because I am certain it is only a matter of time before Zhulong is recognised. Between him and Bailong, the girls can barely focus. I made one of them cry for being distracted and not remembering the choreo.”

“Wang Laoshi is so serious.” Xiao Zhan smiles as he hears another loud huff and then silence. Yibo is probably pouting. “Why didn’t you send them to timeout?”

“He wanted to stay because he likes watching dance practices in general and wanted to flex his knowledge at his gege or something. Have you ever had Bailong looking at you like you’ve injured him to the ends of time and he will never ever recover from it?”

“I’m sure it’s the same look you wear when you want more kisses.”

“Zhan-ge!”

Xiao Zhan chuckles. “Lao Wang, tell me it’s not the same.”

“Lao Xiao, shut up.”

“Hey you called me.”

“Hanging up now.”

And he does. Xiao Zhan shakes his head fondly at the phone and starts to count.

He gets to thirteen.

_**00:25 GRRRRRR** _

**00:26 You’re about as scary as Bailong is right now and he basically looks like this but asleep**

_**00:27 Stop bullying me!** _

Xiao Zhan laughs quietly. He has something he was saving to be used appropriately but it seems like that time might be now. It is easy to fall into using Yibo related memes and he’s had to stop himself several times in the group chat. Yibo is extremely expressive and Xiao Zhan is pretty sure the younger man is able to imitate any emoji he wants at will. 

His lower lip is trapped between his teeth as he sends the next message.

**00:29 Forgive me?**

Yibo groans and slouches down in his seat. There is a warmth tingling from his chest and radiating outwards and he is feeling just slightly off-balance at the intensity of what he feels from a message that is really quite mild in the general scheme of things. It’s even his own meme. How can he be played by his own memes?

Pouting slightly, he starts flicking through the albums on his phone to find something to throw back at the older man and make _him_ off balance.

Xiao Zhan is replying to Da-Xia about the slight change in schedule since Yibo is back tonight when his phone vibrates. Smiling at the notification, he finishes up his reply to his PA first before checking Yibo’s message.

_**00:33 I will if you kiss me here…** _

Xiao Zhan swallows a hastily bitten off groan but the damage is done.

“We are going to timeout.” Zhulong says firmly over the quiet snores of the still slumbering Bailong from the shadows of his corner where the light from the bathroom does not reach.

“No, you have to stay.”

“We’re not babysitters!”

Bailong startles awake at that. “Gege?” He mumbles sleepily. “What’s wrong? Is Yibo back?”

“Almost.” Zhulong pats the little lion’s flank before turning to Xiao Zhan. “How far away is he?”

“Less than ten minutes if I had to guess.”

“He’s here,” Bailong yawns a tiny squeaky roar. “I can feel him.” He turns and burrows his face against Zhulong’s side. “Gege, sleep.”

“Not here.”

“I want to sleep with Yibo.”

Zhulong sighs very exasperatedly. “Am I the only one who doesn’t want to sleep with Yibo?”

“I can make you want it,” Bailong replies against his soft body. “Don’t make me do it. Be good.”

“You have to win at everything don’t you?” Zhulong growls but he settles back down, nose to nose with the baby lion who giggles at the contact. 

Xiao Zhan rolls over fully on his side to watch the two daemons bickering quietly, fascinated by what he is seeing and hearing. Zhulong, though older, pretty much gives in to Bailong’s whims after some token protests. Bailong, though younger, is quite firm as to what he wants and rarely if ever budges from it. He knows they are likely equally powerful since both of them have dragon forms but it is rather amusing to see Zhulong capitulate so easily when his daemon is so capable of giving anyone hell if he had a mind to. He just doesn’t seem to care to when it comes to Bailong.

He shifts over closer to the daemons, curling around them, idly stroking both their bodies together with one hand. Both of them are still arguing about something or other and he doesn’t try to make it out this time, closing his eyes instead, a fond smile playing about his lips.

—

“Hey,” Yibo nuzzles against Xiao Zhan’s shoulder as he fits himself in behind him. “You couldn’t wait a few more minutes?”

Xiao Zhan smiles, leaning back slightly and turning his head, his cheek grazing Yibo’s nose. “What time is it?”

“Just after one. I had a quick shower when I came in. I hate smelling like the plane.” He wraps his arm around the man’s slim waist and presses his face into the back of Xiao Zhan’s neck, inhaling deeply. “Did Bailong and Zhulong have a disagreement?” He asks against warm skin, eyes fluttering close. He is so tired but he doesn’t want to vocalise it because he will be at the bottom of a puppy pile made up of one human and two daemons if he does. 

“A small one,” Xiao Zhan tries not to push back against the temptation spooning him right then. “How did you know?”

Yibo chuckles lowly, making Xiao Zhan’s hair stand on end. Other parts stir as well and he shifts as surreptitiously as he can to turn into the bed.

He manages it, but Yibo follows so he now has a very hot blanket on his back. Their legs intertwine easily and Xiao Zhan hooks Yibo’s ankle with a foot to tug him closer. 

He lifts his head up to look over Xiao Zhan’s shoulder, his voice fond. “They are sleeping back to back not spooning.”

“And yet my neck still tingles,” Xiao Zhan grumbles. “We’d get more sleep if they were in timeout.”

“Are you sure you’d get more sleep with them in timeout?” 

The sleepy husky whisper against his ear pushes Xiao Zhan to turn even further into the bed. Desperate, he tries to distract Yibo. 

“Something happened today.” Yibo hums in response, nuzzling into Xiao Zhan’s neck again, his nose soothing the prickling tingles he feels.

Yibo’s arm tightens. “What happened, ge?” He slides his thigh deeper and higher between Xiao Zhan’s.

“Our daemons…they…” he falls silent, unsure how to continue, belatedly realising that if their daemons said it to each other, it would only mean one thing. 

“Can I guess?”

Xiao Zhan is silent for a long moment before he moves, shrugging Yibo off him, ignoring the quiet whine. He turns, hand against the other’s bare chest, palm over his heart. He has become quite familiar with Yibo’s heart especially since their daemons seem to derive some fiendish pleasure at making sure they are aligned, their hearts literally beat as one most of the time.

The rabbiting nature of his heart is not normal. “You actually know, don’t you?” His voice is vaguely accusatory. “It wouldn’t be a guess if you know.”

He doesn’t deny it. “Zhulong said it first. Before I could blink, Bailong said it right back and tackled him and they disappeared.”

“Into timeout?”

Yibo shrugs, putting his hand over Xiao Zhan’s. “I had to go onstage so they couldn’t come anyway and they knew it so probably.”

“How do you feel about it?”

His hand squeezes Xiao Zhan’s. “How do you think I feel? It’s like my literal heart and soul are walking around outside my body telling the world my feelings when I still don’t know how to deal with them.” He takes a deep breath. “It’s the same with the touching. We don’t say it so they do.”

“I figured,” Xiao Zhan inches closer, slipping his thigh between Yibo’s. “But what I was asking…is how do you feel about the fact that it was Zhulong who said it first?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Xiao Zhan chuckles roughly, pressing closer again. “Zhulong told me off for it. He said it’s my fault he’s started randomly blurting it out. He did it again earlier and then under duress.” Xiao Zhan chuckles again. “He can’t say no to Bailong and I can’t say no to you. We are a perfect pair.”

Yibo smiles softly, lifting his hand from Xiao Zhan’s over his heart and curving it around the older man’s waist. “Did you really miss me that much, ge?”

He pushes Yibo gently onto his back with the hand that remains over his wild heart and he bends his head to kiss just over it before trailing his lips up the warm body.

“More.” Xiao Zhan’s mouths against Yibo’s collarbone as he makes his way up higher, towards the jutting Adam’s apple the younger man had taunted him with earlier. He licks his way up from the frantic pulse at the base of Yibo’s throat, following the line the younger man had laid out, back and forth over the sensitive flesh, fully aware of the helpless little moans Yibo is trying to stifle. The pinch at his hip from Yibo’s large hand keeps him grounded and he allows his lips and tongue to reign free over skin he wants to mark. Knowing that he cannot, he mouths over the jutting Adam’s apple, an accent so proud on that long elegant neck, tonguing against the thin flesh. Yibo’s hand on his hip slips lower still, curving around the top of his ass and he smiles when he gets squeezed hard. Kissing the sharp triangle he licks his way slowly up the underside of Yibo’s chin until their lips are ghosting against each other. Xiao Zhan is now hovering over Yibo’s body, a knee between his thighs and lodged up against his balls. The light from the bathroom is enough for him to see Yibo staring up at him in naked wonder, as if he cannot believe Xiao Zhan is there. “Baobei,” he licks Yibo’s bottom lip, his voice husky. “I kissed you there. Am I forgiven yet?”

Yibo lifts the thigh Xiao Zhan is straddling, eliciting a loud gasp from the older man at the friction against his balls. He swallows the sound as he seals their mouths together, one hand firmly around Xiao Zhan’s ass still and the other in his hair, holding him in place as he steals all the breath from him. Their mouths slant hotly over each other’s, tongues stroking and seeking, delving and tasting, the hunger from each palpable and yet it isn’t frantic. They both know they have the rest of their lives. Their lips re-learn the contours of the other, their hands re-learn the touch of each other. They learn what ignites and inflames and they learn what limits are, finally parting with soft gasps, resting their foreheads together, chests heaving, groins heavy, but not willing to go any further. 

Not yet.

“I need to figure out how to get you to apologise more.”

“You’re such a little shit.”

“Little?” Yibo coughs, resisting the urge to cant his hips up to make his point though he knows he doesn’t have to. 

Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes, pressing down on the younger man, practically riding his thigh. “The ego on you I swear.”

Yibo tugs him roughly back, their mouths meeting again, blissfully unaware of the two extra pairs of eyes watching them. 

“It’s your turn to break it up,” Zhulong grumbles quietly, burrowing under a pillow. “You’re the one who wanted to stay.” He paws at his body. “If my fur falls off because of this I’m blaming you. I feel fucking weird.”

Bailong doesn’t say anything, staring at the kissing men before he turns over and spoons the grouchy rabbit. “I pulled all my energy back,” he murmurs against Zhulong’s soft fur. “Yibo will pass out soon. He worked too hard.”

Zhulong’s eyes widen. “I never thought of that. That’s actually brilliant.”

The cub chuckles, eyes falling closed. “That’s because you think too much. I just do it.”

“Yibo is gonna be so pissed.”

“Not for long.” Bailong smiles when he hears Yibo whisper _I’m suddenly so sleepy…_ “Xiao Zhan will kiss him better when he finds out.”

“Glad you’re okay with that now.”

“Ours,” Bailong remarks emphatically, squeezing the bunny daemon around the middle. 

Zhulong pats the cub’s paw reassuringly. “Yes. Yours.”

**~~~**

**_April 23, 2018_ **

**07:37 Oh now you decide to follow me? It’s only been what? Three days?**

_**07:38 Why are you texting me? We are in the same room!** _

**07:38 I don’t feel like having a conversation. You’re tiring.**

_**07:39 Oh…** _

Xiao Zhan’s groan lifts several sleepy heads in the room. They are in hair and makeup, filming some Demon Slaughter Cave scenes today and they are surrounded by Wens.

Yu Bin looks between Xiao Zhan and Yibo and then appears to decide it’s too early for this, ducking his head and slouching in his chair until he gets poked by the makeup artist to sit up so he can fix his face.

“Who do I have to kill?” Zhulong asks, scampering up Xiao Zhan’s leg. “Why are you feeling both soft and angry? You’re confusing me.” He reaches his lap and peers at his phone and scowls at the gif of Yibo. “Kill it is.”

Bailong curls against Yibo’s abdomen as the hair stylist fusses over his wig.

“Gege is mad.”

“Yours or mine.”

“Ours.”

“Why?”

The lion cub yawns cutely and nuzzles into the blue robes. Yibo can see the wardrobe lady wincing but his daemon can fix his robes if needed so he ignores her.

“They love us.”

As if on cue, Yibo’s phone buzzes in his hand.

**07:41**

The tinny _love you_ repeated over and over again can be heard and Zhulong groans, covering his face. He misses the absolutely beaming grins from both Yibo and Bailong that Xiao Zhan wishes he could capture right then without too many questions being asked.

Meng Ziyi eyes both men, her gaze travelling back and forth between them.

“It’s like no one else exists.” Yu Bin murmurs, pulling up a chair next to her, finally done with his makeup.

She nods before finally looking away and at the man next to her. “I wonder what the rest of filming will be like.”

He playfully shudders. “Lots of footage of us trying to ignore their blatant adoration for each other probably.”

“If they look at each other like that in the context of the drama, no one will believe this is not a love story.”

“Soulmates.” Yu Bin’s voice is quiet. “Open to interpretation though from where I’m sitting, there’s only one interpretation.”

She nods. “Agreed.”

—

Someone had forgotten to tell Bailong about the needles and when Meng Ziyi first wields them in front of Xiao Zhan and he mock faints, Bailong is instantly full-sized and growling menacingly, barely held back by a small fluffy rabbit on his hind legs with his paws out in front of him and yelling at the lion to _calm the fuck down_.

The cave is silent and Ziyi is ashen. Yibo leaves Xiao Zhan to comfort her while he hurries to his daemon.

“What is going on?” Bailong growls loudly. Everyone can hear the growls but only Yibo, Zhulong and Xiao Zhan can hear his words. His eyes are glowing, glaring at the beautiful woman who is being gently spoken to by Xiao Zhan and Yu Bin. “Why does she want to hurt our mate?”

“We’re acting. Remember? She doesn’t want to hurt him, not even in the script.” Yibo has a hand on his daemon and rubbing him soothingly. He can feel the muscles flex beneath his touch and for a moment, he can almost imagine the terror everyone else feels when they see his daemon. 

Bailong turns to Zhulong. “Did you know about this?”

The bunny shakes his head. “Not specifically but I know she was acting. Xiao Zhan had all kinds of scenes in his other dramas. He actually got hurt in some of them so this nothing really.” He gestures for the large predator to bend his head And Bailong complies immediately. Hugging his nose, he pets the aggravated lion. “It’s okay. Just take your cues from me if you’re not sure otherwise we might get sent to timeout if we bother them too much.”

The lion daemon shrinks immediately at the bunny’s words till they are almost the same size and he is being comfortably hugged by the other. Bailong’s expression is adorably mournful now as he tilts his head up to his human.

“Don’t send us away.”

Yibo crouches next to the daemons, laying his hand flat on the cub’s head and stroking his thumb gently along its jaw. “I won’t send either of you away unless we get asked so you have to behave okay? And don’t accidentally get into any shots otherwise they won’t be able to use them.” He sighs when Bailong makes a sad whining sound and is thinking about scooping him up, his pristine blue robes bedamned when he feels the soft brush of someone else’s robes against his elbow as Xiao Zhan walks past.

Mirroring the younger man, he crouches as well but he scoops up both Bailong and Zhulong without hesitation. His robes are dark and meant to be somewhat worn for this part of the drama so any dirt from the floor or anything shed by the daemons would go unnoticed.

The set is hushed as Xiao Zhan sits on the floor with both daemons in his lap. They cannot hear his words, but they can see both daemons perking up until the cute baby lion is smiling.

Yibo gets his hand between Xiao Zhan’s face and Bailong’s enthusiastic licking just in time, chuckling when the cub squeaks its annoyance at being thwarted.

“Behave, Bailong. They will have to fix his makeup if you do that. What have I told you?”

“B-but I wanted to apologise.”

“It’s not him you need to apologise to. It’s Ziyi jiejie.”

“I don’t want to lick her!”

Xiao Zhan starts laughing and he hugs the daemon, trapping Yibo’s hand between them. “Aiya, you silly little lion. You can apologise with words.”

“Oh yeah,” Bailong beams again and wriggles out of Xiao Zhan’s arms and trots confidently up to the apprehensive Wen siblings. 

“Should I go with him?” Zhulong asks, watching as the two humans take a step back away from the very small lion. He’s barely bigger than Zhulong is at the moment.

“He’ll be fine.”

Yu Bin looks up, his eyes questioning and he relaxes when Xiao Zhan smiles at him and waves a hand.

Yibo catches it and grumbles under his breath. 

“What is it?” Xiao Zhan leans in. “What’s wrong?”

“Why is he looking at you for reassurance when Bailong is mine?”

Xiao Zhan chuckles. “Maybe because you and Bailong are basically one and only I seem to be able to handle both of you.”

He gazes at the other man through narrowed eyes. “Handle me? Do I need handling?” He slaps Xiao Zhan across the shoulder.

“Owwww! Wang Laoshi can you please be kinder.” He tries to reach back for his shoulder blade but his hand just misses the sting. “That hurt and I can’t even rub it better.”

Yibo’s scowl turns into a smirk within seconds. “I’ll kiss it better later.”

“Lan Zhan!” Xiao Zhan’s voice is shrill. “How can you say things like that? You’re supposed to warn me first before such words spill from your mouth.” He grabs his chest as Yibo smirks at him. “I will die and it will be your fault.”

“Wei Ying. Behave.” Unfortunately, Yibo is unable to wipe his smirk to lend credence to him being his character and the two men dissolve into hysterical giggles, grabbing onto each other.

Zhulong rolls his eyes at the couple and goes off after Bailong who is still babbling his apology to the very bemused Meng Ziyi.

Yang Xia leans in towards Director Zheng. “Are they really acting?”

He stares at the two men for a few seconds before replying. 

“They are acting like they’re acting.”

—

No one points out that Xiao Zhan doesn’t have to lean against Wang Yibo the whole time, even when they are not filming.

No one points out that Wang Yibo doesn’t have to bend his head so close to Xiao Zhan that his nose brushes against the man’s forehead several times.

No one points out how odd it is that neither of them seem to notice how _close_ they are and how often they are in each other’s personal spaces to the point where others around them are starting to feel like intruders even though they have every right to be there.

Everyone thinks they look like a newly wedded couple, the way Yibo hovers solicitously by Xiao Zhan’s side, sometimes even holding the fan for him. They whisper amongst themselves at how the older man seems more than happy to lean against the younger and take whatever comfort he is offering be it a proprietary hand to the waist or a gentle grip of the shoulders, or simply a body he uses to hold himself upright. This is only the second day of filming and no one is concerned about their acting because Lan Wangji is behaving exactly as he should and Wei Wuxian is just shameless in general.

“Are you sure it’s not too much?” Yang Xia consults with Director Zheng.

The man stares at the take, rewinds it, and plays it again. “It probably is,” he finally admits. “But there is enough ambiguity to get away with it.” He sees something just then and leans forward, squinting at the screen. “Is he rubbing his nose against his forehead?”

He rewinds the take for the writer who takes one look and starts to chuckle. “You know, after what happened yesterday, I heard the other cast members saying that Yibo is a lot more attentive to Xiao Zhan. He didn’t break character when Xiao Zhan literally went down in an ungraceful heap next to him during that punishment scene but afterwards he kept patting him and asking if it still hurts and if he needs a massage.”

“That sounds like a come on if I ever heard one. Xiao Zhan landed hard on his ass.”

She laughs quietly. “Ji Li said Yibo followed him around so much that Xiao Zhan started playfully calling him puppy.” She gestures to the screen. “And he also mentioned that Yibo kept nuzzling Xiao Zhan yesterday over their phones but I didn’t realise he was doing it during the filming.”

“And Xiao Zhan doesn’t seem inclined to move away. It’s not like he can’t feel it.”

She shakes her head. “Not that I heard. He seems almost used to it.”

“I see.” He gestures at the screen. “So can we use this or do we have to reshoot?”

“What about the other take?”

They are both silent, watching another version of the same scene.

The director sighs. “Well, at least he’s not rubbing his nose into his forehead in this one.”

She chuckles again, shaking her head, her eyes not leaving the screen as she replays it. “No, but it’s definitely pressing against it.”

“What do we do? Reshoot?”

“It’s just the tip,” she shrugs. “Worst case we blur it out. I doubt anyone will notice.”

He takes over in front of the monitor and making some minor rough edits before stepping away. “Like this?” 

She hums, staring at the stills with a small furrow in her brow. “You know, why don’t we just leave it as is and decide when we make the final edits. As long as he isn’t actively nuzzling into him, I really doubt anyone will notice.”

He shrugs. “If you say so.”

**~~~**

**_Early May 2018_ **

“I’m dying.”

“No you’re not.”

“I’m serious, i'm dying.”

“You’re not.”

“How are you not affected by the heat?” Xiao Zhan grumbles, turning to his companion who has a small fan directed at him but otherwise appears perfectly pristine in his light coloured robes, eyes laser focused on his phone and not paying any attention at all. “We should switch and see if you can remain as perfectly untouched in thick black robes.” He fiddles with his fan and wonders if it is broken. Even if it was, Yibo will probably just hand him his, or another one. For someone who doesn’t appear as affected by the heat, he always seems perfectly supplied with fans. In fact, the black fan he is holding was given to him by Yibo.

“Zhan-ge, you can’t stand the heat when you’re in our room in your underwear with the AC on. Just pretend the heat is my body hugging yours since you always complain about it but never let me move away.” 

Ji Li who had been passing by chokes and tries to smother it but he is discovered. The two leads turn to look at him.

“B-bug. Bug. I think I swallowed a bug.” He coughs and chokes again, waving his hands around his face as if trying to swat away at whatever bugs that are allegedly disturbing him.

Yibo stares at him for a few moments before he shrugs. “I inhaled some earlier. This place is infested.” He returns his attention to his phone, scrolling through a website selling clothes already dismissing the other actor from his mind.

The young actor waves awkwardly at Xiao Zhan who is still looking at him expressionlessly which is quite unsettling and he remembers the same look from that first script reading. Hurrying off towards more friendly faces in the form of Zhu Zanjin, Liu Haikuan and Wang Yizhou, Ji Li hightails out of there. 

“You think he heard what you said?” 

“Mn.” Yibo isn’t paying attention. His thumb continuing to scroll.

“Wang Laoshi are you listening?”

“Mn.” He keeps scrolling, pausing every now again at something or other that looks interesting. 

Xiao Zhan looks around to make sure where is no one creeping near them. He knows a lot of eyes are directed at them but none are within hearing distance. The dozing full sized Bailong laying about a foot away under the tent structure with Zhulong also asleep on his back might have something to do with it.

“Why don’t you just sleep naked?”

“Mn.”

“Wang Yibo.”

“Zhan-ge.”

“Are you even listening?”

Yibo leans in suddenly, showing his phone screen to Xiao Zhan. “Look, this one comes as a set. Black and white. I don’t really wear white though. Will you wear it if I buy it?”

Xiao Zhan leans in too even though there is really no need. He is hot and sticky and uncomfortable but there is a compelling need he cannot ignore.

Their heads touch and in the distance, two makeup stylists sigh, though one of them is louder than the other.

“Must they? Can’t they just…not touch for one hour. That’s all I’m asking,” the younger one laments.

Her older companion laughs. “I’ve resigned myself to perpetual touch ups. Xiao Laoshi sweats so much his makeup dissolves most of the time anyway so if he wants to rub his cheek on Wang Laoshi, it doesn’t really change what I have to do.”

“It does for me. Wang Laoshi rarely sweats. These days the only times I’ve had to touch up his makeup is because he’s rubbed his face on some body part of your charge or his daemon keeps licking him.”

“They look good together though,” the older lady tilts her head towards the couple smiling and elbowing each other before coming back together again, heads touching over the shared phone.

“Wait…isn’t that Xiao Laoshi’s phone?”

She squints past the glare to focus on the phone that Wang Yibo is holding. “Oh you’re right. That’s his phone.”

—

“Zhan-ge! I think I have a fever.”

Xiao Zhan hurries over immediately, placing the back of his hand over Yibo’s forehead. He leaves his hand there for awhile, brow furrowing before finally pulling away. 

“You feel fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Haikuan, Zanjin and Ji Li exchange glances. They are under the same covered structure waiting for Wang Yizhou and some of the other actors to get back from lunch and various bathroom breaks. The heat is quite punishing and if Yibo really does have a fever, it is more likely heatstroke.

“Did he seem sick to you?” Haikuan asks Ji Li who shakes his head.

“He was dancing to Blackpink not an hour ago. I think he’s fine.”

Zanjin smothers a laugh just as Xiao Zhan starts hitting a laughing Yibo repeatedly until the younger man runs out into the sun, somewhere the older man isn’t too inclined to follow in his black robes.

“What happened?”

“Wang Laoshi told Xiao Laoshi to take his temperature with his lips because he heard that’s the most accurate way to take someone’s temperature without a thermometer.”

Ji Li snorts. “Figures.”

Xiao Zhan’s face is red though it is unclear if it is from embarrassment or exertion. He paces around the tent before finally stopping in front of Haikuan.

“Your brother…” Something in Haikuan’s smile must have said something to him because Xiao Zhan doesn’t finish his sentence, huffing in frustration. “Nevermind. I’ll deal with him.”

“You do that,” he murmurs as the man stalks away.

“Good luck with that you mean,” Zanjin chuckles. “They’re like kids.”

“Kids with a crush on each other.” Ji Li adds.

“It’s definitely more than a crush.”

**~~~**

**_Mid May 2018_ **

“Why are we Lan forehead ribbons?” Bailong asks loudly, having overheard the discussion about it.

“What do you mean?” Fanxing asks hesitantly. He really adores the cub and always tries to be nearby even though they are supposed to ignore them. The cub did ask though.

Bailong sits back and lifts a paw cutely to point at his forehead ribbon. “That ribbon. You said only family or spouses may touch it. That’s like daemons too.” He wrinkles his nose. “Gege, why are we Lan ribbons?”

“Aiya…Baidi…” Zhulong chuckles as he sees the realisation dawn on the various humans within hearing distance. “I think you’re going to be in trouble when Yibo and Xiao Zhan come back.”

“Why?” The cub pouts. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Yibo and Xiao Zhan are related?” Guo Cheng asks the little cub carefully. He is standing behind Fanxing, not really daring to get any closer. He has seen how quickly Baidi can change from cub to adult and he definitely doesn’t want to be anywhere close just in case that happens. He misses the red tinge in the rabbit daemon’s eyes as it stares at him, picking up on his purposefully worded question.

Bailong stares at the human as if he were dumb. “Don’t be silly. They’re not related at all.”

Zhulong returns his attention to his companion immediately. “Ah…ah…Baidi I think that’s enough.”

“What’s enough?”

“Doesn’t Xiao Zhan touch you?” Peixin asks, exchanging looks with Guo Cheng.

Zhulong resists the urge to face palm.

Bailong stares up at the third human and he huffs. “Of course he does. He’s ours.” He makes another annoyed sound and turns to Zhulong who is shaking his head and sighing. “Isn’t he? Aren’t you? I thought we made it clear,” he scowls now. “Ours.”

Zhulong can see the testy edge in the cub’s eyes. Bailong does not like anyone questioning his and Yibo’s right to Xiao Zhan and Zhulong. The lion will rear its head if Zhulong doesn’t distract him.

Yibo and Xiao Zhan enter the room just then, returning together from the bathroom. Yibo stops in the doorway and holds Xiao Zhan back with a hand. There is a low growl and the room is absolutely silent apart from it as the cub changes into an adult right before everyone.

Xiao Zhan darts a gaze to his silent rabbit daemon who shakes his head imperceptibly at him. They were only gone for a few minutes. 

“Baidi.”

“Yibo.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Xiao Zhan is ours, right?” 

Xiao Zhan’s eyes goggle and a nervous high pitched giggle escapes.

The growling gets worse.

“I think you need to answer him,” Yibo murmurs under his breath. “I’m not answering for you. Something has upset him and it has to do with you.”

“There’s a lot of people in this room.” Xiao Zhan mutters out of the corner of his mouth. “Practically every single cast member in fact.”

“I think that’s the problem. He seems upset that people are questioning his relation to you. Zhulong wouldn’t question it but Bailong can be a little…uh…possessive.”

Xiao Zhan swallows hard and scans the room quickly. “Like you,” he points out. “Damn it we were only gone a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” Yibo apologises but the growling gets even worse after that, causing more than a few people to flinch and start to back away.

The older man sighs. “It’s not like everyone hasn’t already suspected.” He finds Yibo’s hand and squeezes it before he walks forward to the bristling lion and stands in front of it. “Baidi.”

“Xiao Zhan.”

The man doesn’t say anything. He kneels in front of the majestic beast and rubs both hands through Bailong’s mane. “Calm down, hey? I’m here and i’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs quietly. “They’re about to serve lunch and Yibo and I were coming to get you and Zhulong. You can sit in my lap if you want but you have to be smaller than this.”

“Are you ours?”

“You wouldn’t be in my lap otherwise and you know it. Be good, please?”

“Why haven’t you mated?”

Xiao Zhan chokes and pulls back slightly, thankful that Bailong had used his daemon voice where no one else can hear. 

“We…we are still getting to know each other.” He can feels his ears burning dear lord he is not prepared for this conversation even if no one else can hear it. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it does,” Zhulong cuts in. “Why do you think Bailong is on edge? He has been on edge basically the whole month. Filming Produce 101 was a nightmare for me and I never told you about it but I had to practically restrain him.”

“Weren’t you two in timeout?”

Zhulong falls silent. This is definitely not a conversation for where they are. “I’ll explain later.”

Xiao Zhan feels a warm hand on his shoulder and he turns immediately to rub his cheek against the hand.

Several people in the room gasp quietly at the blatant affection. They have seen Yibo and Xiao Zhan behave much too comfortably with each other but most of their physical interactions are more violent than affectionate. They seem to have kept the affection for within the boundaries of the story and while hands may linger and bodies may be pressed together over-long, it is almost always in the context of whatever scene they are shooting so no one gives it more than a passing quizzical glance. 

Yes, they tend to lean towards each other a lot but they are normally looking the screen of a phone one of them is holding. Yes, they may not think twice about sharing a rock to sit on, so close they are literally sitting on each other’s robes but then Zhu Zanjin and Ji Li are like that too. Finding Zhuocheng draped on Ji Li or vice versa is also fairly common. In fact, Ji Li is like that in general with everyone _except_ Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan. 

Apart from that scene in the cave where Baidi had overreacted, neither Yibo nor Xiao Zhan go out of their way to touch the other’s daemon. The daemons do most of the touching between each other and to each human, whether the right one or not. Everyone is so used to seeing Baidi curled up in Xiao Zhan’s lap while he reads his script or Chidi sitting on Yibo’s shoulder watching him play his games on his phone that no one even thinks it odd anymore.

Not till today anyway.

Daemons really are like Lan ribbons, so what does that make Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan?

—

“Bailong is different from other daemons.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Good of course,” a squeaky little lion pipes up and burrows against Xiao Zhan’s bare chest.

The four of them are in their bed, the daemons between them, but Yibo and Xiao Zhan are within reach of each other. They are mirrored, propped up on their elbows as they listen to Zhulong.

Zhulong shakes his head fondly. “He doesn’t really understand. He just knows its good.”

“If it’s bad, gege will tell me.”

“Will you actually listen to your gege though?” Yibo asks somewhat suspiciously. “I feel like unless it’s a proper order, you hardly listen to me.”

“In fairness, you hardly give orders,” Xiao Zhan points out. “I’m used to it since it’s the only way to get Zhulong to do anything.”

Both daemons stick out their tongues at the human in unison before Bailong returns to nuzzling against Xiao Zhan’s heart.

Zhulong is being stroked by Yibo, his hand definitely much gentler than Xiao Zhan’s. If he were the purring sort, he would absolutely be purring right now.

“So what do you mean by different?”

Zhulong chooses his words carefully. “Bailong is a rare instinctual daemon. He follows his instincts and they will overrule instructions from anyone except that of his human.”

“What do you mean by rare?” Xiao Zhan scoops the little lion against his chest and scoots closer so he can lean in and press his mouth against Yibo’s soft plump lips. He has not idea why he suddenly felt like doing that but the surprised pleasure on the younger man’s face is well worth it.

As is the pretty blush that taints his cute cheeks.

Zhulong hums, not missing the little smirk the cub throws at him. Bailong is playing again.

“He can communicate with other daemons within his range. Remember the two roars the other day?”

Both Yibo and Xiao Zhan nod. 

“He was marking territory with the first roar. He warned off every single daemon within hearing distance of his roar. It may not have sounded loud to you, but it was absolutely deafening to most of the daemons and he quite literally forced them to their knees in obeisance.”

Xiao Zhan is gaping. “Is this what you meant by king of the jungle the other day?”

Zhulong sits up to lean against Yibo’s abdomen. “Yes and no. He’s not as limited as a real lion, but his instincts do run in parallel to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“His second roar was an order to obey. You saw me bowing. Every other daemon was also bowing.”

Yibo rubs the back of his neck, his eyes intent on his daemon who is purring against Xiao Zhan’s chest. “Does everyone know what he did?”

Zhulong shakes his head. “Most humans have level 9 or 10 daemons. They cannot communicate verbally. Those higher will be able to but it is limited. It doesn’t matter though because whether the human knows or not, their daemons cannot defy the order without consequence so if the human attempts to act in any way that would go against the order, their daemons will reign them in.”

“Aren’t daemons supposed to protect their humans?”

“Yes, exactly. They are protecting their humans by making them obey because to disobey would bring unknown consequences. Don’t bother asking Bailong either because he won’t know. It will be instinctual and it will only happen when it happens. I don’t know what will happen either but I can hazard a guess and it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“Do you have to obey too?” Xiao Zhan asks. “Should I be worried?”

Zhulong snorts as Bailong outright laughs.

Xiao Zhan gets a fond pat to the nose for his question from the extremely amused little lion who stretches with a squeaky yawn and pads over to Yibo, falling against his chest. He starts licking Zhulong who makes a face but doesn’t protest the grooming.

“What was the order?” 

Bailong stops licking and turns his golden eyes to Xiao Zhan. “Protect our mate.”

Xiao Zhan inhales sharply, his eyes darting up to Yibo’s who is staring at him intently.

“You knew?”

“I guessed.”

He laughs nervously, pulling the duvet up higher to cover his chest. “Uh…isn’t that too much?”

“I don’t know what too much means.” Yibo replies honestly. “If it looks like too much I just dig deeper.” He pauses. “At least I’ll try to.”

“Why haven’t you mated?”

_Both_ Yibo and Xiao Zhan cough at the same time. 

Zhulong rolls his eyes. “It’s a fair question. Bailong won’t have to do so much if you would just get on with it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Some daemons question the connection. It was particularly bad during Produce 101. Some of those girls had pretty cheeky daemons and I had to hold Bailong back the whole time.”

Yibo scratches his head. “But I sent him to timeout.”

“No, you asked him to go to timeout. You didn’t order him to timeout. He can come and go as he pleases.”

“What?” Yibo sits up, stunned. “But…but it doesn’t matter I thought? When you two go to timeout willingly, you still have to be called back.”

“I do. He doesn’t.”

Xiao Zhan sits up as well. “Wait. Let me get this straight.” Zhulong snickers at his choice of words but he ignores his daemon. “Bailong can move around timeout as he pleases?”

Zhulong sighs. “This is why I didn’t want to get into this discussion. It’s a daemon thing and very confusing. Even I’m not sure how to explain it properly. Basically, Bailong’s instincts will overrule any constraints on him. During Produce 101, his priority was to protect the integrity of his human’s mate so he will leave his timeout to do so. I could stop him because I am your daemon and therefore supersede his claim on you but no one else would have been able to.” 

Xiao Zhan exhales slowly.

“What level daemon are you?” Yibo asks quietly.

Zhulong had been dreading the question because while Yibo has the right to know, and so does Bailong really, it can come with some baggage though he hopes the Daemon League will generally leave them alone. He will have to show his face there at some point anyway and he will do what he can.

“I’m Level 2.”

“And Bailong?” Xiao Zhan asks, voice equally soft.

“I’m the same as gege!” Bailong’s voice is bright and happy. 

Xiao Zhan marvels at how cheerful the cub is. He can practically see him glowing in the relative darkness of their room.

Zhulong shakes his head at the exuberant baby lion whose face falls immediately. “You’re not the same.”

“B-but you said we’re equals. Did you lie to me?”

“Bailong, think about what I said exactly.”

The little cub scrunches his face cutely. “You said…you said…you said… _you are equal and more_.” His eyes pop open. “Oh. You said _and more_.” His mouth drops open. “Wait…more? How can I be more than gege? You’re the leader of the dragons.” His innocent confusion would have been adorable if not for the information he had just shared.

“Whaaaat!!!!!” Xiao Zhan nearly screeches the room down. 

Yibo crawls over to his side immediately, eyeing their daemons warily as Xiao Zhan pulls the covers around their bodies.

“Explain.” Yibo asks. No, he demands. 

Zhulong sighs and settles next to Bailong. This is going to be a long night.

**~~~**

**_End May 2018_ **

The sun is absolutely unforgiving and everyone is exhausted and they are barely through the shoot. The Lans are running away from the Wens and the area is a mess of actors, extras, the normal crew plus the safety crew. They are currently trying to film a key scene in the drama that involves a large crane, dangerous wire work and even explosives. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong so far and the PDs are at their wit’s end. 

Biyu is watching Yibo being hoisted up into the sky and she cannot help feeling the faintest thrum of apprehension. Today is not a good day. Some of the crew had been injured by a box of explosives that had gone off, likely due to the heat from the sun and are currently on the way to the hospital to be checked out. They had decided to push through with the shoot as the rental of the crane and the wirework crew would cost them more if they postpone to another day when they still have half the day left. 

She is herself exhausted, flying back with Yibo first thing that morning from a Produce 101 shoot that had lasted to 3am. She is sure Yibo is functioning on basically air because she had heard him tell Baidi to save his energy for later. They had a disagreement just before he was harnessed to the crane because Baidi had wanted to call Chidi to help. She had paid closer attention to Yibo when she heard that because if Baidi wants the phoenix then Yibo is probably injured somewhere. 

True to form, the young man had said no and his daemon had been visibly furious, but unable or unwilling to gainsay him. She is still unsure as to how this daemon thing works for them and based on how her daemon behaves around Yibo’s daemon, it is probably better that she doesn’t know. The fact that it still behaves like that despite being separated since her daemon is not corporeal bothers her because of what it implies.

Can Baidi get to her daemon even in timeout? 

A very loud growl cuts through the quiet chatter and instantly the set is silent. Even the wildlife fall silent, as if the entire area has taken a collective deep breath and are just waiting for permission to exhale. The silence is unnerving and several people exchange concerned glances for their daemons are also agitated. They cannot see what the problem is except that Baidi, Wang Yibo’s daemon is now in the shot and they cannot continue filming unless he moves out of the frame. Not a single one dares to ask him to move for he is in his adult lion form and they cannot ask his human either for he is currently dangling from a crane about fifty feet off the ground.

Yibo takes a deep breath. His heart feels like it is going into arrhythmia and Bailong is agitated because of it. He does not have a height phobia but this is the first time he has been this high without so much as a thin mattress beneath him so he is more than a little nervous despite the four men harnessed to him as well not to mention the crane itself. There is a breeze blowing and it is making him sway more than he did at the facility where they had trained and it is making him feel lightheaded and dizzy. His gut is clenching painfully, his stomach issues once again making itself known and he knows it is his own fault. He hasn’t eaten since dinner the previous night and he still doesn’t feel hungry but clearly, his body is protesting the treatment.

Bailong’s growls get louder but he cannot even muster the energy to bend over, worried he might throw up in mid-air, his head is spinning so badly. He just needs to take a breath or two. He will be fine. He closes his eyes, but the vertigo doubles. Perhaps triples even and he forces his eyes open with whatever last reserves he has. 

“Do you want to come down?” Someone calls out.

Yibo clenches his jaw and shakes his head. They only have today to finish this scene. With the full crew that had been there during the training session plus the massive crane, he knows it cannot be cheap and he has to finish his scene. As it is, he is meant to catch a red-eye that night to return for a TTXS shoot tomorrow morning so even if they stopped, he’s not sure when he would be able to fit it in on another day. Honestly, being managed by Du Hua is almost as bad as his original manager though in a different way. The woman seems hellbent on keeping him as busy as humanly possible. 

His stomach is churning badly and the pain is growing more and more acute by the second. Coupled with the fact that he has probably had little more than 15 hours of sleep over the past four days is taking its toll. He has been awake for nearly 30 hours presently. His body aches. His back and thighs hurt from the harness and he is fighting to keep his eyes open.

Somewhere below him, he hears a roar that makes the hair at the back of his neck stand on end.

“Hush…” His voice is weak even to his own ears and he feels like he is in some sort of tunnel. There is a loud ringing in his ears and he tries to shake his head to clear it but it only makes his vertigo worse.

—

The lion is circling underneath Yibo which causes one of the men holding one of the ropes to loosen his grip nervously when he swings past too closely and Yibo drops five inches, his heart practically in his throat. He sees his on-screen uncle, all bloodied from the makeup rush in to grab the rope and help the man whose grip had slackened and he jerks in the harness when the man regains his grip with his assistance.

The muffled screams from several watching cast members both male and female are drowned out by his daemon’s resultant roar that sounds absolutely deafening despite the open space. That was not the roar of a lion and Yibo can see the crackling electricity around his daemon that can only mean one thing and in his increasingly confused state, he does the one thing he does not want to do.

“Baidi, go!”

The second his daemon disappears, Yibo regrets it. 

He tries to wave to be let down but his voice is trapped in his throat and his arm refuses to cooperate. He can hear noises but he has no idea what they are. Maybe it was all the spinning in mid-air earlier affecting his inner ear. He has an amazing view of the location if only it wasn’t moving, and his thoughts are scattered and disjointed. He tries to find his daemon, forgetting that he had sent it away and the panic that sets in when he realises he is midair and without his daemon finally becomes too much and his eyes roll up into the back of his head and he passes out fifty feet in the air.

They all witness his silent mid-air panic attack. They had been trying to lower him the whole time but the earlier slip by one of the men had caused something in the mechanism to jam. Even with the ropes slackened, Wang Yibo is dangling, limp, in midair. 

Several faces of the cast and crew are wet with tears, both male and female. 

Some of the crew and even several members of the cast are frantically unravelling a tarp underneath Yibo’s still body as the other staff try and get whatever is causing the jam working again. 

—

Xiao Zhan is just finishing his lunch when Zhulong looks up at him from his place on the table, his eyes changing into a deep red as he sits as if frozen. 

He is immediately on alert, looking around, his hair is standing on end. “What is it? Zhulong, what is it?”

“Bailong.” Zhulong’s voice is a harsh whisper as if the word had been forced from him. 

Xiao Zhan nearly falls out of his chair when the full grown male lion appears right next to him roaring in agitation.

The cast of his drama scream and back away immediately, some tripping over themselves in their haste to get away. Their daemons are all going mental as well at the presence of the angry yet terrified daemon. 

Xiao Zhan’s face is pale, ignoring the chaos around him, his eyes laser focused on the shaking daemon. “B-Bailong, what’s the matter? Bailong?”

“Y-Yibo.” 

Bailong’s voice cracks and Xiao Zhan surges to his feet, searching out the PD. He is actually done with filming and would have been on the long drive back already but he had been asked to stick around to discuss some upcoming scenes after lunch. He had the luxury of time then, but not anymore.

He finds the man in the corner, staring aghast in the direction of the daemons. His explanation is short and probably more curt than he normally would have been but he had agreed to stay on his time which as of a minute ago is no longer his. The man nods mutely, expression vaguely stricken.

“W-whose daemon is that?” 

Xiao Zhan doesn’t hesitate when he turns to leave.

“Mine.” 

When he returns to the table, both daemons are small enough to carry and he scoops them up, heeding Zhulong’s instructions.

“Outside. I need space to change and we must go now. Bailong can’t because Yibo ordered him to leave but he can come with me.”

“He’s not in danger then? He can break that order if he is in danger right?”

“Danger is relative to the human.” Zhulong mutters. He’s going to give Yibo hell when he’s feeling better. Xiao Zhan’s frantic emotions are near close to bursting and he can barely stand it being bombarded by both his human and his fellow daemon. 

“He’s unconscious.” Bailong’s voice is broken and despite the worry and terror he feels at the cub’s words, Xiao Zhan hugs it close, kissing its forehead, murmuring words of comfort as they hurry out to find the largest empty space for Zhulong to transform.

—

It cannot have been more than ten minutes since Yibo fainted when someone screams.

_“Dragon!”_

The cry is taken up by others as everyone scurries, trying to find cover as the creature seems hellbent on their location. 

All but three of the men standing beneath Yibo’s motionless body twisting in the wind are torn, terrified at the approaching dragon and yet, equally terrified of what Baidi would do to them if he knew they left.

Huang Ziteng, Feng Cong and Wang Rong stand their ground, motioning for the men to leave as they spread out, holding the tarpaulin as properly as they can with half their number now running for the trees. A fourth person joins them, her face wet with tears but her jaw is set defiantly and they move again to make room for her. 

“That’s Xiao Zhan’s right?” The oldest of them asks. He is bloodied and looks as if he has seen better days but it is all make up. His jaw is clenched tight and his arms tense.

Biyu is watching the skies just as he is. “Yes. Da-Xia messaged me earlier saying Bailong had appeared and caused a ruckus and they had left soon after with Chidi transforming into a red dragon.”

Feng Cong exhales noisily but says nothing, eyes trained to the skies as well.

Wang Rong shifts his weight from foot to foot. “You are sure that’s Chidi right?”

Biyu’s daemon replies through her, it’s voice musical, true to its form as a pretty wren. “There are only five dragons at any given time. The red dragon is the leader of the dragons and the only daemon dual-formed as a phoenix. There is no other.”

“Leader? Of the dragons?” Feng Cong whispers just as that very dragon touches down next to them.

—

It takes the appearance of Xiao Zhan for their fears to be assuaged somewhat. Even as they exchange sighs of relief, muffled screams are heard as a second dragon suddenly appears. Gleaming white, practically incandescent in the strong sunlight, they watch as Xiao Zhan does not hesitate to climb onto its back with some help from the blood red dragon.

“Baidi has a dragon form?”

“I heard about that but it was just a rumour.”

“Both of them. I’d bet money the red dragon is Chidi.”

“My daemon is saying yes. Chidi is the red dragon and Baidi the white dragon.”

“Isn’t this taking the whole Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian thing a bit far? Even their daemons have matching colour schemes?”

The man who had spoken earlier to confirm the identities of the dragons pales as his daemon scolds him. “Uh…d-don’t say such a thing. It’s disrespectful.”

“Huh?”

“Baidi and Chidi were born dragons. They are not to be trifled with.”

“Don’t worry. If everyone’s daemons are behaving like mine right now, no one would even consider it.”

—

“There’s something wrong with the mechanism.” Huang Ziteng shouts up at Xiao Zhan as he backs away, the last to leave. “I think you’re going to have to cut him loose because it’s jammed.”

Zhulong And Bailong nod at each other. Zhulong will cut, Bailong and Xiao Zhan will catch.

The two daemons work together, the shining white dragon holding itself still under Yibo’s body, supporting him with the seated Xiao Zhan cradling the upper part of Yibo’s body gently.

“Okay,” Xiao Zhan whispers through his tears. “I’ve got him. You can cut it now.” 

Zhulong does and Yibo’s body drops properly into Xiao Zhan’s waiting lap. He is unaware of the tears wetting his cheeks as he holds the limp body of the younger man in his arms. Yibo hasn’t stirred at all and his skin is overly warm. Much warmer than normal even. He does not see Zhulong transforming into a phoenix until his daemon lands in front of him.

Everyone is silent as they watch the phoenix spread its wings and cover both their lead actors from view. 

Fifteen quiet minutes pass before the phoenix pulls away and transforms into a small white bunny, practically blending in with the dragon it is on. They watch as Yibo sits up slowly before turning to wrap both his arms and legs around Xiao Zhan, burying his face in his neck. The bunny hops up in-between their bodies just as the white dragon takes to the air.

A phone rings just as the dragon disappears into the bright blue skies. 

Director Zheng answers his phone, his expression switching from disbelief to pure shock. 

After he hangs up he turns to his fellow PD, his voice aghast. “That was the Daemon League. They are donating five hundred thousand for the disruption and have ordered the production to stop for three days while they investigate what happened.”

“That’s enough to cover renting all the equipment again but I don’t know if it will stretch to cover three days of no filming. Each day is money!”

He shakes his head. “US dollars. They are donating five hundred thousand US dollars.”

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“I think we need to call that daemon lady again. I’m starting to feel we’re missing more that we should about their daemons.”

“To be honest, I don’t really want to know.”

Biyu hears the tail end of their conversation and offers the same information she provided the actors earlier.

“Xiao Laoshi’s daemon is the leader of the dragons.”

“What does that even mean?”

She shrugs. “He is important to the Daemon League.”

“Make that _very, very, very important_ ,” Director Zheng mutters as the PA walks away.

“As important as half a million dollars.”

—

In Beijing, Du Hua gets a call as well though the only similarity between her call and Director Zheng’s is the caller herself.

She has toed the line of the law badly this time and will be paying for her miscalculation and misjudgement. 

Literally. 

Half a million dollars in fines. American dollars.

Left with a warning that her company will be facing further scrutiny, both from the League and the government, if Yibo and Baidi are harmed in any way, shape or form, the caller hangs up.

She calls Biyu immediately.

“Cancel everything he has for the next three days.”

“Madam?”

“If anyone complains, send them to me though I doubt they will. It’s TTXS and Wang Han cares too much about that boy to kick up a fuss. Give the commercial to Wenhan.”

“Yes, of course. I will action it now.”

She is about to hang up when she thinks better of it, her curiosity winning over. “Were you there?”

“Yes.”

“What did he look like?”

“A dragon. A white dragon. A very, very, very big white dragon.”

“And Xiao Zhan?”

“Madam…” Biyu trails off remembering the words her daemon had spoken through her. “Xiao Laoshi’s daemon is the leader of the dragons.”

Du Hua hangs up then, leaning back in her seat and pinching her brow. She is definitely at fault here. At fault for not having all the required information.

However, she has once again made a crucial mistake, attributing the fact that Xiao Zhan’s daemon getting involved is the reason for her problems, missing the point of the extremely explicit warning.

—

Xiao Zhan watches in silence as the stylists finish taking the wig off Yibo and clean off his make-up and as much of the glue as they can. Bailong had put him to sleep and the younger man had not protested. In fact, he hasn’t said a single word apart from the softest _sorry Zhan-ge_ as he hugged Xiao Zhan earlier.

“We can’t put food in him. He needs to eat.” Zhulong murmurs from his lap. Bailong is curled in Yibo’s lap, almost completely hidden in the folds of his robes. “I’ll ask Bailong to wake him later but I think he will only eat if you ask him.”

“I’ll make him something.”

Zhulong nods. “He will definitely eat then.”

They don’t bump into anyone on the way back to their room, Xiao Zhan princess-carrying Yibo with the assistance of both daemons lightening the load. He had stripped Yibo out of his costume in the dressing rooms earlier and was thankful that the younger man had sweatpants and a simple teeshirt in his bag rather than jeans or anything more complicated.

He lays Yibo in their bed, Bailong leaping up immediately and curling against the young man’s side, resting his head on Yibo’s chest and watching his human sleep, its golden eyes sad.

Xiao Zhan sits on the edge of the bed, stroking Bailong gently. 

“I’m going to make some food for him. Do you want anything?”

“Why did he tell me to go? He didn’t want me to go but he still told me to go.”

Zhulong hops up onto the bed and nuzzles into his companion’s side. “He was confused. Dehydrated. He didn’t know what he was doing. It wasn’t you.”

Bailong makes a sad sound but doesn’t reply. He does turn briefly to lick Zhulong which is enough of a sign for Xiao Zhan to know the cub will be alright. He gives both daemons a final rub, bending over them to kiss Yibo’s pale cheek before leaving for the kitchens. 

—

Xiao Zhan has to call Zhulong to let him into the room, unable to open the door himself with the tray he is carrying. The room is cooler than it was when he left it and a very welcome respite from the hot kitchen he had been in for the last hour. 

Yibo is still asleep and the food is hot enough that he can squeeze in a quick shower without compromising the meal he had made from scratch much to the bemusement of the kitchen staff.

Zhulong is whispering quietly to Bailong when Xiao Zhan exits the shower wearing nothing but a towel, his face obstructed by the towel he is using to dry his hair.

“Zhan-ge.”

Xiao Zhan stumbles on the carpet, and twin giggles are heard, accompanied by a long-suffering sigh.

Tossing the towel aside, Xiao Zhan hurries to Yibo’s side. “Sweetheart, you scared me to death.” His eyes trace Yibo’s pale features, drinking in every one as if he hasn’t seen the man in months. “Are you okay? How’s your head? Your stomach? Is your throat okay? Can you eat? I made it myself. Do you need to be fed? Are your hands okay?”

Every body part he mentions, he touches it. When he moves to the next one, his hand lingers on the previous. He becomes visibly conflicted when he runs out of hands but he eventually solves the problem. He palms the side of Yibo’s neck gently just under his ear, fingers in his hair, a thumb on his neck. He takes Yibo’s hand and places it against his abdomen and puts his hand over it.

Zhulong’s expression softens and he leans into Bailong as they watch the two humans silently. 

Yibo finally moves, slipping his free hand behind Xiao Zhan’s neck and pulling him forward gently until their foreheads touch.

“Zhan-ge…” the word is more breath than sound.

Xiao Zhan crumples, the tears that Yibo joked come and go like a faucet turning on and off is now most definitely very much on and he can’t turn it off.

Yibo coaxes the older man onto his lap. He has regained most of his strength and just needs food to complete his recovery but Xiao Zhan is more important. The quietly sobbing man curls around him, still a little damp from his shower. The towel slung low on his hips is holding on by a prayer due to his straddle of Yibo’s lap.

Their daemons are in a similar position, Bailong is hugging Zhulong who is sniffling quietly into his fur. 

He rubs both hands soothingly up and down Xiao Zhan’s bare back. The daemons had given him a summary of what happened and while his own memory is a little foggy at the details, he remembers the complete and utter panic he feels on finding Bailong missing and he had reassured his daemon that he hadn’t meant to send him away. He wouldn’t have if he had thought about it instead of the knee jerk concern of what his dragon form might do that had driven his original order.

Xiao Zhan wraps his arms around Yibo’s slim frame, agonising over what could have happened. His mind plays a myriad of scenarios, each worse than the last and with each one, his arms tighten and he desperately tries to meld their bodies together. His face is buried in Yibo’s neck and he inhales his own snot and tears, accompanied by the faintest scent of the younger man. 

Yibo places soft kisses against the cooling skin of the older man. He is directly under the blast of the AC but doesn’t seem to feel it.

They do not know how long they stay like that but Yibo doesn’t relinquish his hold until Xiao Zhan finally pulls back to look at him.

Small clammy hands frame his face and he tilts his chin up to meet the still watery eyes of the older man. His own hands settle at Xiao Zhan’s towelled hips, squeezing gently.

“You’re going to do that again, aren’t you?”

“Scare you?” Yibo asks softly with a tiny smile.

“Yes.”

“I race bikes, Zhan-ge.”

Xiao Zhan’s face twists minutely. “That’s not in my control. You eating is. You taking your stomach meds is. You getting some sleep is. You resting is. You being honest enough to tell me when you are drowning is. You’re not alone, Wang Yibo. You’re never alone. You have Bailong.” He takes a deep shuddering breath, his entire body trembling with it. “And you have me. You have us. Yours, remember or have you forgotten?” Xiao Zhan starts crying again, tipping forward to press his quaking mouth against Yibo’s. “I love you. So much it terrifies me.”

Zhulong and Bailong exchange looks and press closer together. 

Yibo parts his lips beneath Xiao Zhan’s trembling mouth and he tastes tears. Lifting his hands from the man’s hips, he frames his face and kisses away the tears that are still falling, murmuring soft soothing words against the man’s damp skin. 

Some of it makes sense. Some of it doesn’t. The sentiment behind it is loud and clear though.

_I love you too_.

He does eventually stop, hiccupping against Yibo’s cheek as the younger man trails his fingers up and down his side. 

“You okay?”

“Mn.” Xiao Zhan draws back. “And you?”

Yibo manages a pretty true to form grin. “Gege…you’re naked in my lap and told me you love me. I’m perfect.”

Bailong and Zhulong both laugh when Xiao Zhan realises his towel had finally given up the fight, their laughter turning into joint snickers when the man yeets himself off Yibo’s lap, hurling himself face down across the bed with a loud embarrassed groan. 

His eyes track along the man’s insanely long legs. The towel had ridden up far enough that Yibo swallows hard and drags his eyes away. Moving slowly and crawling up the man’s body, he curls partially over his back the way he normally does at the start of the night. No matter how much Xiao Zhan complains about being too warm, he always pulls Yibo back if he moves away. 

Nuzzling into the side of his head, hand palming a barely covered ass cheek, Yibo kisses his fragrant hair. “Are you feeding me?” His hand squeezes and Xiao Zhan squeaks. “This is the only food I can reach so if you want me to eat something else…” 

Xiao Zhan turns his head and their noses collide. 

Yibo is smiling, his eyes bright.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as Zhan-ge.”

“Yibo…”

“Zhan-ge…”

“Just let me compliment you cleanly without needing to argue with you.”

Yibo grins. “Then you need dirtier compliments.”

“What?”

“Like…” he squeezes his hand again. “Your ass is so plump it fills my hand with more leftover and I just want to—” 

Xiao Zhan’s eyes are so wide his face is practically all eyes, his hand over Yibo’s mouth. 

“I just want to feed you dinner. I cooked.” Feeling soft lips against his palm, he draws back gingerly and he sees a plush pout. Unable to resist, he leans forward to kiss him. “If you’re good…maybe I’ll show you how to eat other things.”

“Other things?” Yibo’s eyebrow crooks interestedly. He steals a kiss back, licking Xiao Zhan’s bottom lip.”

“Oh hey, you know we’re still here and we’re also fucking hungry and Xiao Zhan’s ass is definitely not my idea of a meal.”

Both men freeze.

“Gege! Why did you interrupt?” 

Xiao Zhan slow blinks at Yibo.

“You wanted to watch that?”

“No, but we want them to mate. We could have just gone.”

“They can mate any time. I need to eat now before I fall over too.”

“Anytime? It’s been three years!” Bailong’s voice is so long-suffering it nearly makes Xiao Zhan laugh out loud at his clear exasperation. “I thought we wanted them to mate. You have cereal.” 

“Cereal? Cereal? You’ve clearly never tasted Xiao Zhan’s cooking if you think I’d be fine with cereal.”

“But, gege. We’ve been waiting _forever_.”

The pout in the cub’s voice is so pronounced that Yibo definitely has to smother a laugh.

“Are they…arguing about us…uh…” Xiao Zhan’s whisper trails off.

Yibo nods, eyes dancing with mirth. 

“Bailong…mark my words, you’re going to wish they waited a little bit longer. Once they start, they’re never going to stop.”

“But we don’t want them to stop.”

“You really have no idea what you’re saying.”

“And you do?” Bailong tone lilts up in challenge.

Zhulong waves his paws in the air exasperatedly. “Look, I don’t even know what we’re arguing about. We eat and we go and they can mate for the next three days for all I care.”

“Three days? It takes that long?”

Yibo’s hand presses harder against his own mouth, this time his eyes are vaguely alarmed. 

“Oh my god, what are we talking about?”

“Mating.” Bailong replies firmly.

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Zhulong grumbles. “Ok. We eat, then we leave, and we stay out of their hair until one or both of them call us.”

“For how long?”

“How would I know? However long they want I guess.”

“But I want to come back and sleep with Yibo.”

“He’ll call you when he’s done.”

Yibo’s eyes are nearly bugging out of his head and he removes his hand and mouths the words back to Xiao Zhan. 

_“When I’m done? Done with what?”_

Xiao Zhan knows exactly how his daemon feels. He drops his forehead against the bed, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

“What if he isn’t done tonight?”

“He’s human. He can only go so long.”

Bailong hums, now looking a little concerned. “He needs to rest. Maybe mating can wait till tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you go tell them that.”

Zhulong nearly howls with laughter when Bailong does exactly that, marching up to the two humans, his tail swishing sassily behind him, he unequivocally makes things very clear.

“No mating until tomorrow.”

Yibo is going to die from mortification.

Xiao Zhan thinks he has never felt more alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sick so had to cut this in half otherwise I would have missed posting this weekend. It’s still over 16k words though so you can imagine.


	8. You or Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they filmed in different locations but for ease of the story, I just have them driving to the different locations but staying in the same place the entire four months. Also hahaha all the shaving commentary going on this week I had to add sth so forgive me in advance lmao. Also this was supposed to have gone into July but this is almost 22k and we never left June for #reasons.

**_Early June 2018_ **

Zhulong snickers from the table. Bailong has joined him and they are leaning against each other watching Xiao Zhan. The cub's golden eyes are just a little bit too smug.

"Xiao Zhan...Xiao Zhan..." Zhulong shakes his head and clicks his teeth. "You can't take a few compliments?"

Xiao Zhan pouts immediately, crossing his arms over his chest with an exaggerated huff. "Are all of you ganging up on me?"

“Xiao Laoshi is so handsome, we wouldn’t dare.”

"Wang Yibo...stop it."

"Stop what?" he asks brightly, a playful grin on his face. 

"Stop...with the compliments," Xiao Zhan rubs his cheeks. His hair has probably been standing on end for the past five minutes. He’s just lucky all the other cast members are currently queuing up for another buffet he had sponsored together with Yibo. It was meant to primarily serve as an apology for the dragon scare some of them got the previous week. Despite both their assistants pointing out that the three day unplanned ‘vacation’ was probably more than enough for the entire cast and crew to forgive them, both Yibo and Xiao Zhan had insisted. 

Yibo laughs. 

A cross between his gremlin laugh and the low chuckle that Xiao Zhan has already long ago decided is his kryptonite. 

"Is it still a compliment if it's the truth? How can anyone look at Xiao Laoshi and not think wow so handsome?" he snickers when Xiao Zhan howls and slides down his chair until he is slumped low and groaning behind his small hands. "Even when I cannot see Xiao Laoshi's face I know he is still looking very handsome. Even when his face is wet and he should look like a drowned rat, his face value never ever goes down. Even when—”

“Lao Wang please I am begging you.”

Bailong and Yibo exchange glances. “Does that look like begging to you?”

The cub shakes his head. “Nope,” popping the P.

Zhulong laughs and takes a running leap and jumps onto his human. He too is snickering a little but it is partly in sympathy. Xiao Zhan is not unused to being complimented. Far from it, he has had a fair few confessions as well and some were solely over how handsome he is. No, the reason why Xiao Zhan is having trouble with the compliments is because he thinks Wang Yibo is far more handsome and attractive and for the younger man to call him handsome always does his head in especially since he knows Yibo means every single word he says even if he is smirking like a gremlin.

"Look, you need to get over it."

"How?" Xiao Zhan finally looks up. “I still don’t know how we managed this. Have you taken a good look at him? I’m sure he knows people cannot help but stop and stare.”

"Oh he does. He definitely knows he is stunning but he doesn’t care what they think. He cares what you think.” Zhulong smiles wryly. “Bailong says he took the adult lion form to warn off other people, both men and women from trying to have a taste of that sweetness. People might stare at him but have you noticed he only has eyes for you?”

“Stop that. Don’t start. It’s bad enough from him.” Xiao Zhan's hands drop and his brow furrows. Straightening, he stares first at Bailong who is now snuggling against Yibo's chest, his front paws on his human's shoulder and purring loudly as Yibo strokes him with his eyes closed and a sweet smile tugging at his mouth. His heart clenches at the sight and he keeps thinking _mine_. He turns back to Zhulong on his lap. "Has anyone tried?"

"And be gutted by a full sized lion?" Zhulong laughs. "Nope." He pops the P too and grins at the look Xiao Zhan sends him.

"He's almost always a tiny cub with me.”

"He doesn't feel threatened by you.” 

Xiao Zhan wrinkles his nose. "I have no idea whether to feel flattered or insulted."

Zhulong grins. “Actually, let me rephrase. He has never felt threatened by you because Yibo’s feelings for you would have never allowed it.”

“He hasn’t explicitly said it back you know.”

“Do you actually need the words? I overheard some camera crew saying the other day that they can’t use a lot of the bts footage _not because of the daemons but because Wang Yibo behaves like he actually wants to take Xiao Zhan back to Gusu with him and keep him forever_. I am pretty sure it’s you or nothing for him.”

“It’s him or nothing for me too,” Xiao Zhan’s voice is a quiet whisper and he rubs at the gooseflesh on his arms. Yibo values action over words. The way his daemon acts is also telling enough. Ever since Xiao Zhan’s confession, Bailong has been stickier than ever. The more Yibo has to hold back in front of others, the stickier Bailong gets.

Zhulong rolls his eyes and hops off Xiao Zhan's lap and lops over to wait patiently by Yibo's foot until the other actor notices him. 

Bailong notices him first of course and his stickier than sticky _gege, come here_ is so liquid and honeyed it makes Xiao Zhan’s hair stand on end. He is heard by several people just returning from piling their plates full of food and Yibo’s smirk when he leans down to scoop up the rabbit daemon into his lap to join his daemon makes the context of the stickiness even worse. Xiao Zhan continues to watch as Yibo leans back in his reclined chair and closes his eyes again, holding both daemons to his chest as they nuzzle each other.

Zhuocheng swallows hard, turning to Ji Li, and Xuan Lu with his eyebrows raised. 

Xuan Lu is trying and failing to smother a smile while Ji Li just sighs. 

He’s had a rough morning being stuck third wheeling their lead actors. It actually isn’t so bad when Xiao Zhan is there because although 99% of his attention is on Yibo, he does spare 1% for him. Left alone with Yibo though, Ji Li might as well be invisible. Even sitting next to him left him feeling like he’s intruding somehow and he likely was since Yibo spent the entire time on his phone texting Xiao Zhan who had been called away by his PA for a twenty minute conference call about an upcoming project. He hadn’t said a word to him the entire time until Xiao Zhan returned and the sunflower bloomed once again.

Admittedly, he enjoys watching the two of them interact. Most times it is exceedingly entertaining especially with Yibo turning into a boy tugging the pigtails of his crush. He has lost count how many times he’s seen Yibo swatting Xiao Zhan on the ass with his sleeves or smacking him on the arm or attempting to coax him into a battle with his sword. _The fact that he is absolutely certain the swords are just a replacement for something similarly phallic shall remain unsaid_.

Today though had seen a change in the older man. Something about the ribbons on Yibo’s blue robes appears to have short-circuited Xiao Zhan’s brain. The entire morning was a mess of Xiao Zhan tugging at Yibo. At one point, the man had somehow managed to catch his leather bracers in Yibo’s fluttering ribbons and they both had to stand there red-faced while the harried stylists try and untangle them without ruining Yibo’s outfit. Ji Li had been caught snickering behind his fan by Yibo and perhaps that’s why he had been given the cold shoulder later.

Normally it is Yibo stroking or playing with Xiao Zhan’s hair but that morning it was the other way round. It’s as if something snapped in the older lead’s brain and he could not seem to take his hands off the younger man, not that Yibo is complaining in any way shape or form except for the one time Xiao Zhan actually managed to knock his forehead ribbon askew while playing with his hair. 

Ji Li chuckles to himself at the memory, Yibo bellowing about _only spouses and family_ and Xiao Zhan arguing right back asking what the hell is he then had been extremely memorable for the sole fact that both of them had appeared to forget where they were. Their daemons had gotten in on the disagreement at that point and they were no longer able to hear the animated discussion though they could certainly see it. Yibo smacking Xiao Zhan across the shoulder multiple times and Xiao Zhan giving right back until they both end up half scowling half pouting at each other and rubbing at their sore upper arms. 

To everyone’s amusement, it is Xiao Zhan who grabs Yibo’s mirror and gets right in the young actor’s personal space. They still can’t hear a word they’re saying, but they can certainly see the mutinous expression on Yibo’s face soften into what can only be described as affection as Xiao Zhan actually relinquishes his hold on his ever present black fan to card his fingers through the ends of Yibo’s hair while holding up the mirror for him to fix his precious forehead ribbon. 

Considering how you would normally have to pry Xiao Zhan’s stiff dead fingers from that fan and the fact that they were not standing under any shade whatsoever, this was definitely a Grand Gesture.

Whatever it is, whatever dance the two of them are doing, it is 100% mutual and bleeding hard and fast into the drama. 

—

_I'll take you to the candy shop  
I'll let you lick the lollipop  
Go 'head girl, don't you stop  
Keep going 'til you hit the spot, whoa_

Everyone is unsurprised at the young man who had put the music on. For the first time in awhile, he is ready before anyone else. Since it is reasonably early and without Xiao Zhan around for him to bother, he had been unable to sit still and starts dancing to the song he had put on.

_I'll take you to the candy shop (Yeah)  
Boy, one taste of what I got (Uh-huh)  
I'll have you spendin' all you got (Come on)  
Keep going until you hit the spot, whoa_

Yibo mouths the lyrics as he dances, ignoring everyone. He is performing next week to a mix of this song but he likes the beat and he’s feeling restless, his limbs warm and loose from his shower. Since he can’t really dance to his actual choreo, he had just let his body move to the music, sticking the song on repeat and hoping that nobody minds. 

_I'm trying to explain, baby, the best way I can  
I melt in your mouth, girl, not in your hand (Ha-ha)_

They are on the second repeat of the song and he sounds off on the accents of the lyrics, the way he did with GD’s Good Boy, making several people smile with his loud _whoa_. He hits each beat precisely, and never misses his spot in the lyrics. Several of his fellow cast mates are dancers in their own right but there is something mesmerising about Wang Yibo and how fluid his body is, as if it is literally one with the song. 

Even if they had wanted to join him, they would much rather watch him. His freestyle is laid back with a very sensual clubbing vibe that suits the song, evoking the feel of dancing amongst a roomful of writhing bodies, identities obstructed by a hazy mix of alcohol goggles and smoke machines.

He is dressed very simply in a cap, loose oversized teeshirt and baggy khakis, something that absolutely shouldn’t be sexy but his body tells a story, and their eyes follow the tale he is telling. 

“Do you think he understands the lyrics?” Zanjin murmurs into Haikuan’s ear, his upper body gently moving with the beat.

Eyebrows go up when Xiao Zhan emerges from the bathroom and Yibo, like the moon reflecting off the sun, meanders into his orbit and starts dancing around him, his expression morphing from focusing seriously on enjoying the music to focusing very seriously on throwing his co-star off balance.

_Give it to me, baby, nice and slow  
Climb on top, ride like you in a rodeo  
You ain't never heard it sound like this before_

Haikuan blinks at the absolutely devilish smirk his ‘brother’ throws the frozen older man, complete with beckoning fingers as he sings along, getting _very_ up close and personal with Xiao Zhan.

_’Cause I ain't never put it down like this  
Soon as I come through the door  
She get to pulling on my zipper  
It's like it's a race, who could get undressed quicker  
Isn't it ironic, how erotic it is to watch her in thongs?  
Had me thinking about that ass after I'm gone_

Zhuocheng tries clearing his throat, and while it does get Yibo moving away from Xiao Zhan, he doesn’t stop dancing.

_I touch the right spot at the right time  
Lights on or lights off, she like it from behind  
So seductive, you should see the way she whine  
Her hips in slow-mo' on the floor when we grind_

Several breaths catch as he goes into a slow-mo dolphin dive and then proceeds to hump the floor.

_I'll take you to the candy shop  
I'll let you lick the lollipop  
Go 'head girl, don't you stop  
Keep going 'til you hit the spot, whoa_

Yibo’s loud _whoa_ seems to have finally snapped Xiao Zhan out of his stunned reverie and he grabs the younger man’s phone with one hand and Yibo by the scruff of his teeshirt with the other, half dragging the snickering younger man out of the room without a backward glance.

The room is significantly quieter and remains so for a few minutes as the very tired cast members process what just happened.

“Well…” Zhuocheng starts and then stops, his face beet red.

Zanjin exhales slowly. “Well indeed.”

“I guess we can assume they’re not waiting for the bus.” Haikuan adds, sounding like he’s strangling on his words.

Biyu and Da-Xia enter the room just then, ducking their heads as they start collecting Xiao Zhan’s and Yibo’s things.

“Have they left?” Ji Li asks loudly, startling both PAs who look up at him.

They both look at each other and then nod in unison, the faintest of pink colouring their cheeks.

“Xiao Laoshi called a Didi.”

“I see.”

Zhuocheng cradles his head and starts to laugh.

**~~~**

**_16 June 2018_ **

“People are starting to notice and talk since you’re filming in different locations now and have to travel further.” She takes a deep breath. “Plus the Produce 101 episode has started drawing more attention than expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means you and Xiao Zhan need to start taking separate cars.”

Yibo scowls and Xiao Zhan sits up, watching the younger man pacing around the dressing room. Several other cast members shoot concerned glances at him, and then to Xiao Zhan with questioning gazes. 

“That’s a waste of resources. We have the car because of our daemons.”

“Daemons that shouldn’t be getting along as if you two have been married for the last decade,” Du Hua practically hisses into her phone. “I may not be there and no one may be allowed to take photos or videos but people can still describe what they see. Your daemon is calling Xiao Zhan’s daemon _gege_ and I know you’re not this reckless, Wang Yibo. Not many people understand daemons but they understand enough to know two daemons cuddling each other _is not normal_ and calling each other anything but their names implies a hell of a lot.” Taking a deep breath when she gets nothing but a stony silence on the other end, she tries again. “Look, Xiao Zhan is still new to the industry. He doesn’t need this kind of attention.”

Yibo sucks in a sharp breath.

“Fine.”

She isn’t surprised when he hangs up immediately, but she is processing the information she had just received rather loud and clear.

To get Yibo to cooperate, you need Xiao Zhan.

—

“Zhan-ge! Don’t be like this.”

Xiao Zhan sniffs and turns away, ignoring the younger man and staring intently at his phone though he isn’t actually reading or doing anything.

Another phone appears in front of him. “Here. You can look all you want. I don’t care.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want it.”

“But, Zhan-ge, it really was nothing.”

“If it was nothing, why did you avert your screen when I looked over?”

Yibo makes a frustrated sound and tries to hand his phone over again. “I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, I just happened to move that way when you leaned in. I really wasn’t hiding anything.”

Xiao Zhan clicks his tongue and shrugs. “It’s fine. Don’t share, it’s okay.”

“It’s clearly not okay!”

“It’s okay.”

“Give me your phone then.”

“Why?”

“I want to look at it.”

“What for? You have your own phone.”

Yibo stares at Xiao Zhan for a few more seconds before he huffs and returns to his seat, turning it to face away from Xiao Zhan. He drops his phone carelessly to the ground and folds his arms, sitting stiffly and staring out at the trees. 

“Aren’t you being a little childish?” Zhulong asks. “Bailong is confused as hell and in all honesty, so am I.” He shakes his head at the forlorn looking cub whose head droops as he heads over to his human. 

“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s hot.”

“That’s your excuse?” Zhulong watches until Bailong is scooped up by Yibo before returning his attention to his own human.

Xiao Zhan looks at the rigid lines of the younger man who had deposited his daemon in his lap but hadn’t touched him beyond that. He can see Yibo flexing his fingers and then making a fist before loosening his hand again. He had felt an ugly tug of irrational jealousy when Yibo had tilted his phone away. He wasn’t even interested in the contents of his phone, but the way he moved his phone when Xiao Zhan had leaned in had rankled so badly that he had reacted very poorly to the storm of feelings.

“I don’t know why I’m like this.”

“I can hazard a guess.”

“Go on then. You’re going to tell me whether I like it or not.”

“Your connection is emotional not physical. Until it is, both of you are going to feel at odds without any concrete reason. All these dumb little fights are just the beginning. If you don’t scratch that itch, it’s going to blow up and I for one have no idea what it’s going to look like because I do not want to go head to head with Bailong. Both of you belong to each other, and yet, you don’t.”

“We do.”

“Then what are you waiting for? He’s had an open invitation on his forehead for weeks.”

“I don’t want to fuck this up.”

“So you’re fucking it up by not fucking it up?” Zhulong laughs humourlessly. “I hope that makes sense to you because it sure doesn’t to me.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“He loves you. So much that Bailong’s spillover is driving me crazy. He is terrified of scaring you off though.”

“He hasn’t said it.”

“He won’t be able to stop if he does. His daemon is a lion, Xiao Zhan. He will want to yell his love for you from the fucking roof. Do you want that? You are relatively protected by the Daemon League but they cannot protect you if the masses turn against you unless Bailong decides to asset himself and even then, I’m not sure how that would look.”

“Why would they?”

“You’re an idol. He’s an idol. Idols need to be single to be marketable. Surely you know that.”

Xiao Zhan’s mouth is set in an angry thin line.

Bailong crawls up Yibo’s shoulder, nuzzling into him but he looks over at Xiao Zhan just before he does.

Those liquid golden eyes are filled with unshed tears and Xiao Zhan feels lower than low.

Taking a deep breath he stands up and walks over. 

“Yibo.”

“Xiao Zhan.”

He tries not to wince at the mechanical response he gets. Yibo doesn’t even turn to look at him. He puts a hand on the daemon-free shoulder and squeezes. “Can we talk?”

Yibo shrugs. “You’re talking aren’t you.”

“Zhulong.”

“On it.”

The impermeable wall of filmy red that protected them from view after Xiao Zhan’s emotional first script reading appears again in the middle of the vegetation. Not even the irritating insects flitting about are able to get through.

Cast and crew alike just watch the red column silently from a distance. Yibo had been out of sorts since his phone call that morning and they aren’t surprised to see their two leads arguing.

Xiao Zhan crouches over and scoops up Zhulong before he moves around the chair to sit on Yibo’s lap. Bailong drops from Yibo’s shoulder and into Xiao Zhan’s lap immediately, nuzzling into the folds of Xiao Zhan’s black robes. He silently curls around Zhulong, allowing the rabbit daemon to stroke his head comfortingly.

“Zhan-ge?”

“Hey,” Xiao Zhan leans in, pressing against Yibo’s ear and inhales deeply. “I’m sorry.”

Yibo wraps his arms around Xiao Zhan’s waist and leans forward, tucking his face against the older man’s throat. “I’m sorry for making you feel like you can’t trust me.”

Xiao Zhan’s heart aches. He cups a warm cheek, and tilts his chin down to coax Yibo up into a gentle kiss. “I trust you. I just had a moment. I’m over it now and I hate that I hurt you and Bailong.”

“Is it because of what my agency told me to do?” 

Yibo’s eyes are heartbreakingly sad and he feels worse again. “I don’t know,” Xiao Zhan presses his forehead against the other man’s, feeling the metal of Yibo’s forehead ribbon pressing into his skin. “I don’t want to make excuses. I am not feeling myself today and you’re collateral damage. I’m sorry I was such a dick.”

His arms tightens around the man’s slender waist and he shakes his head. “No sorries.” He squeezes. “I think I understand now. No sorries or thank yous. You can’t thank me for something I would have done for you anyway without being asked and you can’t apologise when you’re already forgiven for anything you could have done.” He closes his eyes. “For better or for worse.” 

“Are you proposing?” Xiao Zhan’s voice is lightly teasing but there’s a frog in his throat. 

“Would you say yes?”

“Give it a couple of years.”

“M-mark your wo-words.” Yibo’s voice trembles slightly and he inhales slowly to try and calm his heart. His grip tightens again and he hears the soft wince but he can’t let go. Not yet. _Not ever._ “I hate this…” he whispers. “So much…why can’t they just leave us alone?”

“I’ve got you.” Xiao Zhan’s thumb strokes along Yibo’s jawline.

“Will you still be here two years from now? Will you get sick of this? Of me?”

Xiao Zhan’s answer comes so quickly it even surprises him. “It’s only been little over two months and yet it feels like I’ve known you for years. I can’t—” he pauses when his voice cracks. He stops to breathe through his mouth, his vision suddenly watering but the tears don’t fall. Not yet. “I can’t remember what my life was like without you in it and—” his voice cracks again and he feels Yibo’s arms tightening around him and this eyes spill. “And I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Yibo sucks in a huge gulping breath and Xiao Zhan turns his gaze down immediately, seeing the wetness in those lovely solemn dark eyes much, much too serious for someone less than a year into his 20s. He swipes away at his own tears and then cups Yibo’s face in his hands. 

“Zhan-ge…” Yibo exhales shakily, worrying his bottom lip as he gazes at the tears in the other man’s eyes. He doesn’t want Xiao Zhan to cry but he is feeling so broken up himself he doesn’t really know how to comfort the other man. He holds him, and hopes that for now, it is enough. 

He can still smell the mouthwash Yibo had used after lunch and he inhales the familiar spearmint scent that mixes with his perfume and makes him smell so familiar and comforting. He smells like Wang Yibo. _His Wang Yibo_.

Xiao Zhan’s eyes travel slowly across Yibo’s features. It’s one of his favourite things to do. He knows Yibo stares at him a lot, and he gets teased often enough about it. However what many people don’t realise is that he is equally, if not more, taken with the younger man. He stares at Yibo when he’s asleep most of the time. Xiao Zhan has found himself unable to rest easy until he is certain Yibo is asleep properly and he finds it very restful to meditate over the softened features of the younger man who had to grow up far too early.

“Sometimes…” Xiao Zhan’s voice is whisper soft. “Sometimes I’m still not sure if you’re real.” He traces the pads of his thumbs under the younger man’s eyes, wiping away the makeup and revealing the dark bags that are testament to his fatigue. Their daemons can only do so much, and while they are able to erase internal strain, both Yibo and Xiao Zhan tend to forget the visible ravages unless they are obvious like Yibo’s scratched up knees from his skateboarding and dancing or Xiao Zhan’s scratches on his arms from his over-zealous attempts at trying to befriend every single cat in the neighbourhood. 

He had even been bitten by a stray dog when Yibo was away at his concert a few days ago and despite Zhulong assuring both Bailong and Yibo that he had healed him properly and there was no danger of rabies, Yibo had borrowed one of his company drivers to take him back to their accommodation instead of waiting to fly back the next morning as scheduled. They had fought about that at 3am in the morning when he arrived dead on his feet and Xiao Zhan had felt guilt sliding through him at taking the younger man away from his friends and his work so unnecessarily. 

“I’m real and I’m here,” Yibo pulls his face away and stares intently at Xiao Zhan as if trying to see right into him. “I am not going anywhere. I hope you’ve realised that. You have me and unless you choose to drive me away, I am not going anywhere and I will even fight you if you try.” A muscle slides in his jaw as he clenches it. “I hate the scrutiny. I hate that I can’t even travel in the same fucking car with you without people talking about it. I hate that we have to hide. I hate it.” His voice is a harsh whisper. “But I love you. It’s only ever been you. I only want you. I don’t want anyone else and I will not let you go so unless you choose to walk away from me, you have me forever. It’s you or nothing.”

Xiao Zhan chokes on his tears and his hands grip at Yibo’s collar. “The stylists are going to kill me.” 

The shadow of a familiar mischievous smile lights up Yibo’s face slowly but surely. “Xiao Zhan baobao, is that any way to respond to an undying vow of love?”

Yibo is still smiling when Xiao Zhan kisses him.

“Do you think they remember we’re still here?” Zhulong muses quietly to his companion. “And that they’re in the middle of a drama shoot?” 

“Shut up,” Bailong growls back quietly. “We need to mate!”

—

The daemons question the separate cars later, but Xiao Zhan soothes Yibo’s frustration with kisses and cuddles once they are back in their room.

Unbeknownst to them, their two daemons are annoyed enough about the situation to personally make a trip to the Daemon League as they sleep that night.

**~~~**

**_18 June 2018_ **

The wardrobe director wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s fine but maybe Xiao Zhan has an opinion?” Director Zheng smiles at the embarrassed actor.

“Xiao Zhan doesn’t have an opinion,” the man himself speaks, face flaming red and alternating between sighing and screaming internally. Yibo is in the next room getting his wig on so thankfully out of hearing range but both daemons are there, watching, heads tilted as they scrutinise the matter being discussed.

Zhulong snickers. Of course he does.

Bailong giggles. “It’s a little weird.”

“What he said,” Zhulong can’t help it, and he bursts out in loud guffaws, causing the other two humans to smile though they do try to hide it.

The loud laughter of course, brings Yibo to the back room.

“What’s going on?” His eyes trail up and down Xiao Zhan’s torso with a cocked eyebrow. 

His poor hair stylist had followed him and Xiao Zhan, despite his embarrassment has to grin at her long suffering expression as she combs out Yibo’s hair. It doesn’t matter how many times he tells Yibo not to inconvenience them, the man does it anyway but for some reason, everyone seems to understand he doesn’t do it to be difficult. He does it because his attention is laser-focused on Xiao Zhan. If Xiao Zhan moves, he moves. The only way for anyone to do anything to Wang Yibo on most days is to make sure Xiao Zhan is nearby and it has only gotten worse over the past two days since his confession.

Xiao Zhan had thought Da-Xia was joking when she relayed the message from the crew to him. The fact that Biyu was with her corroborating it was more embarrassing than anything. 

_“The crew respectfully request that Xiao Laoshi be close by to Wang Laoshi otherwise we will not be able to do our jobs.”_

However, just being nearby isn’t always good enough. Just the other day, Yibo had been staring at him from barely six feet away, practically unblinking, missing the sighs of the person fussing with his makeup. Xiao Zhan had noticed and picked up on what was needed and gestured for Yibo to close his eyes so the stylist could touch up his eye makeup and the younger man had done so immediately. 

_“People might stare at him but have you noticed he only has eyes for you?”_

Bailong lifts a paw and points in the general vicinity of Xiao Zhan’s belly. “With or without?”

Yibo’s eyes narrow and Xiao Zhan feels extremely exposed all of a sudden. It’s not like he’s never seen it before. It’s just, his expression is currently more clinical than personal and Xiao Zhan finds that he doesn’t like it.

He purses his mouth. In all honesty, without makes sense but Xiao Zhan looks uncomfortable so he turns to the director.

“Can the stab be somewhere else?”

Director Zheng shakes his head. “We discussed it and it wouldn’t really work. He has to be stabbed in the belly.” Yibo stares at him with those molten golden eyes of his daemon and he cannot help but feel a thrum of discomfort. They have asked so much from the two leads who have delivered and more. Can they put the wound somewhere else? Before he can reply and offer some sort of compromise, Yibo beats him to the punch.

“Let me talk to him.”

“I can give you about an hour since we started earlier than expected and we are still missing some props that got accidentally left behind. We need more of the sun as well and the clouds aren’t cooperating.” Director Zheng pauses, a little bemused at his own rambling. “Basically, you probably have an hour.”

“Thank you.”

The room empties after that and surprisingly, even the daemons make themselves scarce though not before a jaunty _be good_ from a smirking Bailong. Zhulong’s expression is just as smug.

Xiao Zhan huffs loudly, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the dressing table.

“Talk then. I’m all ears.”

He has his post-resurrection headpiece on. The giant thing is meant to make him look taller but to Xiao Zhan, Yibo is already larger than life. There is really no need even though he knows the height thing is an issue. He is more than happy to stand with his legs wide apart to make Yibo appear taller if he has to. The whole perception that the _top_ in a BL couple has to be taller, bigger, whatever is just ludicrous and certainly not based on his reality. He scrunches his nose at the thought.

Yibo simply hums, locking the door before he turns and saunters over, not stopping until he is crowding Xiao Zhan against the table, his leg between the other man’s, leaning in to run his nose along the curve of the older man’s ear. 

“Zhan-ge…”

“What are you doing?” Xiao Zhan’s voice sounds trapped. It is trapped. Somewhere between his heart and his throat.

“Giving you two options.”

“W-with or without?” 

The warm chuckle in his ear nearly sinks him to his knees and it almost does, the only thing holding him up is Yibo’s thigh between his legs. The door is locked and Xiao Zhan’s brain goes _fuck it_. He rides that thigh since Yibo is so kindly offering. His slumbering cock perks up just a teensy weensy little bit and he can’t even summon enough contrition to feel bad about it. 

“We both know _with_ was never an option.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Option 1…I shave you. Option 2…I shave you.”

“Yibo…”

“Gege…”

Xiao Zhan drops his forehead onto Yibo’s shoulder, chest heaving and yet he hasn’t done anything except stay mostly still.

“Will you be good?” He finally speaks.

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Whether you actually _want_ me to be good.”

“What if I do?”

“Then I will be good for gege.”

Xiao Zhan makes a strange sound, a cross between a whine and hiss and he keeps his forehead pressed against Yibo’s broad shoulder. How the man is so slim yet decently wide is beyond him but it’s one of the million things he likes about Wang Yibo.

“Fine.”

“What was that?”

“Don’t be a jerk.”

Yibo chuckles and coaxes Xiao Zhan off his shoulder, pressing their mouths together immediately, a gentling kiss meant to ease and soothe. When Xiao Zhan tries to deepen it, tracing his tongue against the inner seam of Yibo’s slightly parted lips, the younger man draws back.

Eyes hooded, he regards the older man, eyes dancing from his forehead down to his chin, lingering overlong on his mouth until Xiao Zhan licks his lips nervously, eliciting a smirk from Yibo.

“Did they give you a razor?”

“I think there’s a disposable pack somewhere.”

“Shaving cream?”

“Somewhere too.”

Yibo huffs a laugh and moves his thigh, rubbing it against Xiao Zhan’s groin, eyebrow arching at the semi he feels. “Really, gege?”

“Shut up. I’m this close to kicking you out and doing it myself so behave.”

He hums again, a small grin playing about his mouth as he leans in. “Stay here.” He kisses Xiao Zhan chastely before pulling away and heading to the attached bathroom where he correctly assumed the stuff he needs would be.

“Zhulong.”

His daemon appears almost instantly, looking like a cat that has glutted itself on cream.

“Yes, Xiao Zhan? Or should I say…gege.”

Xiao Zhan narrows his eyes at the daemon. “Can you block out the sound.”

“Already done. Do you really think Bailong wouldn’t have taken care of that already?”

“What’s he doing?”

“Sitting in front of the door as an adult lion, lazily scanning the room and daring anyone to approach.” He snickers. “I’ll have you know that basically everyone on the other side of that door has varying ideas of what is going on in here because of that so be prepared.”

“I see.”

“Do you really?”

“Nothing is going to happen.”

Zhulong scoffs. “You forget I can feel you whether I like it or not.” He shrugs. “Why do you need the room closed off then huh?”

“Just a precaution. Yibo is…”

“Yibo is what?” The man in question returns with a pack of disposable razors, a cup of warm water and a small can of shaving cream. 

“Unpredictable.”

Zhulong laughs. “Whatever you say, Xiao Zhan.” He eyes the razors and his eyes glint with amusement. “Have you done this before Wang Yibo or will I have to swoop in and heal him from a cut or two?”

“I’m a guy. What do you think?” Yibo remarks with a little furrow in his brow. “I’d hurt myself before I hurt him.”

“I believe that,” Zhulong replies. “The room is secure so unless anyone wants to go toe to toe with a large lion lounging right outside that door, you’re fine for awhile.”

Yibo makes a face that Xiao Zhan can’t quite read but his words don’t reflect his expression. “Be good.”

“As if I’m the one who needs to be told that,” Zhulong snorts and disappears.

Yibo stares at the empty floor where Zhulong was a few seconds ago before returning his gaze to Xiao Zhan’s. “Is it just me or are they way more invested in this than they should be? It seems a little…abnormal.”

“It has been awhile…”

“I’m only following your lead.”

Xiao Zhan knows that. He knows it too well. They could have gone further many times but Yibo is always so conscious of whether Xiao Zhan is comfortable or not that he never ever pushes beyond teasing and he’s starting to wonder who the cock tease really is between them. Every single time it seems like too much, Yibo backs off and he has to admit that at times it is frustrating as hell but it’s his fault. He’s the one who said he wanted to take it slow and he’s never actually said anything to the contrary since. Well, here they are. 

Slow. 

He’s the one with the experience and he adores Yibo the way he is and there’s also a small elephant in the room he really needs to address first. 

Chewing on his lip for a moment, he reaches out and tugs at the sleeve of Yibo’s jacket, pulling the younger man in and playing with the zipper on the dark jacket. “Do you remember what you said that night when I said I’d teach you…uh…” he falters but a grin lights up Yibo’s face and he knows the other man remembers.

“Teach me how to fuck you?” Xiao Zhan nods mutely and Yibo continues. “And I said don’t teach, show me?” Xiao Zhan nods again. “What about it?”

“What did you mean by show you?”

Yibo cocks his head. “Whatever you want it to be.”

“Wang Yibo.”

“I’m serious,” Yibo steps into Xiao Zhan’s personal space again, depositing the items he is carrying on the table behind him and freeing his hands. Slipping his hands around Xiao Zhan’s waist, his hold loose, he continues speaking. “I told you. Blank canvas. Do what you like. Teach me what you want,” he smirks. “I’m all yours. Please be kind to your didi.”

Yibo’s hands are under the white inner shirt he is wearing, thumbs tracing the sliver of skin above the waistband of his pants and it is distracting Xiao Zhan and he gets the words out quickly before he changes his mind or loses it altogether because it certainly feels like he might. He has no idea how Yibo can affect him so acutely that it sometimes feels like common sense has left him too. 

“I want you in me.”

Yibo’s thumbs stop moving. “What?”

“I want you in me and I want you to show me what you know so I can fill in the blanks.”

Yibo slow blinks at Xiao Zhan as he processes the words. “Now?”

“Whenever you want. Whatever you want. However you want.”

Xiao Zhan is a little gratified to see the deep bob of Yibo’s Adam’s apple as he swallows hard. The silence between them is lengthy enough that Xiao Zhan almost starts to rescind the offer when Yibo finally speaks.

“How much control do you have?”

“Why?”

“Cos I wanna try and push you over it.”

Now it’s Xiao Zhan’s turn to swallow hard. “And you want to try now?”

“You offered.”

“I did.”

“Well?” 

Yibo’s stare is disturbingly intense and Xiao Zhan feels exposed under the weight of that gaze. The twenty year old has an extremely disconcerting near effortless way of seamlessly transitioning between annoying little brat to an experienced adult that ought to be listened to. Based on the way Bailong is, he really isn’t surprised.

It is all adult right now.

“Go for it.” Xiao Zhan nearly laughs at how squeaky he sounds and it must have showed on his face because Yibo starts chuckling.

“You’re sure about this?”

“What are you planning on doing?”

“Shaving you.”

“That’s all?”

“More if you’re good.”

“What does being good mean?”

Yibo leans in, mouth against Xiao Zhan’s ear. “Staying perfectly still. Be good, gege.” 

—

“We are not waiting on equipment.”

“I know.”

“What was that about?”

“We can give them some time. Yibo has been flying in and out and we can’t really afford anymore delays. We have to get this right today because he won’t be available tomorrow.”

“And this will help?”

“They’ve been quite twitchy for the last two weeks. We are filming an intimate scene in the Jingshi. If they can’t get into it as they need to, we won’t be able to get the right shots or emotions. Consider it a calculated risk.”

“And if they’re worse after this?”

The man smiles. “Haven’t you noticed they are always better when left alone to talk it out?”

“Yes… _talk_.”

—

Xiao Zhan is definitely having second thoughts.

Maybe third thoughts.

Or fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts.

He is standing against the same dresser sans everything but his underwear. Yibo had made a good argument about not getting shaving cream or water or even hair on his costume. His own hair is secured at his nape and he had removed the horribly tall pokey Hanguang Jun headpiece with Xiao Zhan’s help. His stylist will kill both of them if they mess up his hair but technically, they shouldn’t be doing any messing up of Yibo’s hair.

Technically.

Trailing his fingers lower, Yibo nuzzles against Xiao Zhan’s cheek. “I like this.”

“My hair?” Xiao Zhan tries to joke but it comes out a little flat, his voice high and reedy. His cock is not going to be able to hide in his underwear and he is pretty sure that was part of Yibo’s plan when he made him take off his pants under the guise of needing to shave him.

“Treasure trail.” There is laughter lurking in his voice and Xiao Zhan adores it. 

Yibo draws back and smiles, a soft glint in his eyes. The liquid gold has disappeared leaving the familiar dark gaze that Xiao Zhan is more accustomed to and prefers. Lan Wangji’s golden eyes may make him ethereal and otherworldly but Yibo is already all that and more without it. 

“Pleasure trail too.”

The smile turns into a smirk. “Maybe I should ask them to just CGI it out. We can’t be messing with gege’s _pleasure trail_.” He places special emphasis on the latter words, mouth tilting up further into a wider smirk.

“Don’t be a brat.”

Yibo’s fingers never stop moving, tickling gently in an up and down motion between his belly button and lower. It takes a great deal amount of concentration for Xiao Zhan to realise that every time Yibo’s fingers trail back down, they go _lower_ than they were previously until his fingertips are skimming top of his waistband.

Xiao Zhan’s hips jerk and instantly, a large hand is curving around the side of his waist, holding him still.

“You promised to be good.”

“And you’re supposed to shave me.”

“I will after I’ve sent off this trail the way it should be sent off.”

“Sent off?”

“Mn.” Yibo hits his waistband again and this time he pushes it down. “I’m taking this off.”

Xiao Zhan’s breath hitches and their eyes meet. The look in Yibo’s eyes compels him to hold his gaze.

Yibo’s fingers move to trail once again from his belly button and lower, using his thumb to hold the band, he runs his fingers down, following the trail, sliding his hand in after the band.

“Baobei.” The word is a bitten off gasp as Yibo’s hand encircles him.

“Treasure.” Yibo agrees. His hand squeezes lightly and Xiao Zhan’s hips jerk forward again. “Pleasure.” A hiss of broken breath fills the space between them and Yibo smiles. “Be still. Be good, gege.” He pulls his hand back out, resting it at Xiao Zhan’s hips, smile widening when the older man mutters under his breath about brats.

He trails lazy warm kisses along Xiao Zhan’s jaw, following a path down his neck and meandering to his nipples, flicking his tongue teasingly at the tightening buds but not lingering before he continues lower. They do not have much time.

“Yibo…”

He just hums, smiling along his way down, nuzzling from Xiao Zhan’s belly button and following the soon-to-be-gone trail of hair.

Xiao Zhan is already stepping out of his briefs before he realises what is happening. 

“Gege…” 

He feels the breath against his exposed cock and his chin drops to stare at Yibo whose lips are a fraction of an inch from his hardened length.

“What are you doing?” He manages to ask, his voice strangled and breathless as he stares into the bottomless pools of those stunningly expressive eyes.

Eyes that are so heated that he feels like he is about to be set on fire, but Yibo stays perfectly still with his head tilted up like that, Xiao Zhan is slowly losing track of what they were meant to be doing. He just wants to feel. To trace his cock along that luscious mouth. He wants to feel the heady wet lick of a tongue pressed against the veins of his cock. He wants that tongue inside him, licking him open with a determination that only Yibo can possess. He wants his fingers in him, prepping him for more to come. 

Xiao Zhan wants him so much he _aches_. He should feel embarrassed about being so exposed but considering how much they have been dancing around the matter for two months, what he feels is more akin to regret for waiting so long. Yibo’s eyes are so hungry and Xiao Zhan has never ever felt so wanted. All the confessions he has received throughout the years since he was barely out of puberty till now would absolutely dim, even when taken as a sum, in comparison to the naked need in Yibo’s eyes. 

He burns for him.

_Only him_

_You or nothing_.

Yibo’s senses are so assaulted he feels like there must be a warning beacon going off over his head right now if he were a cartoon. He stays focused though. He hears the words Xiao Zhan is murmuring. What he wants. What he needs. He wants to give it to him and more. Xiao Zhan’s scent is honestly driving him a little insane and he has half a mind to forget about shaving. He is trying to be good and not even _look_ at the older man because otherwise he will likely try to swallow him down to the root and embarrass himself seeing as he has no idea if he can or not. He has watched his fair share of porn. Maybe less. It had always been a rather desultory exercise with Yibo more interested in observing than anything else to the point where he had started viewing them as educational videos rather than a means to get off.

“Gege,” he calls again because while Xiao Zhan is still staring down at him, the man’s eyes are clouded with lust and they have a job to finish first. 

“Mn.”

“Don’t move.”

Xiao Zhan licks his lips and reaches down to cup Yibo’s face, the boy-man leaning into his touch immediately and Xiao Zhan can feel the shudder at the contact before Yibo turns his face inward to kiss his palm and stand. He watches as Yibo unzips his jacket. He is wearing a sleeveless tank top underneath and Xiao Zhan can see the outline of that damnable piercing through the thin material and his hips move involuntarily, his mouth watering.

Yibo notices the attention and he drops his chin to look down at himself even as he drops his jacket in a heap to the side. He reaches over his head and pulls off the tank top from the scruff.

“What are you doing?”

Yibo smiles crookedly. “If you are good and let me finish shaving you, you can come wherever you want. I was just being prepared.”

“And you?”

He shrugs lightly. “I can wait.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes are alight and intent. “Let me take care of you.”

“If there’s time.”

“It won’t take long.”

Yibo laughs. “You’re right, it probably won’t.”

Xiao Zhan leans back, his cock jutting out lewdly from his body, his eyes remain training on Yibo’s. “Well, what are you waiting for then?” He arches his eyebrow. “Control right? You lose if you come before I touch you.”

The younger man scoffs and leans forward, nipping at Xiao Zhan’s shoulder as he reaches around him to grab the things he needs. 

“I took care of myself in the shower this morning.”

“So did I.”

“You’re on then.” 

Xiao Zhan grins. “Don’t be too cocky. I’m six years older and I know what a twenty-year old hair trigger is like.”

He huffs, smirking. They had almost done it several times now but there is always a split second of hesitance from Xiao Zhan that Yibo, so indelibly attuned to the man, picks up on that he always immediately backs off and leaves the older man to lead or retreat. 

What Yibo doesn’t realise though is that if he had given Xiao Zhan even an iota of wanting more, it would have been enough.

One, afraid of pushing too hard and scaring the other off.

The other, afraid of wanting too much, too hard, too fast, and falling too deep.

They are already in too deep and scaring each other off is impossible.

“Alright then,” Yibo kisses Xiao Zhan’s mole. “Be good and don’t move. It would be horrible unsexy to have Zhulong bursting in here because I drew blood.”

Xiao Zhan laughs.

The shaving cream is the non foamy type, more gel than cream with one of those generic overpowering masculine scents that break your nose because you can smell nothing but.

On most days this would bother him immensely because he wants to smell Yibo. Not today though. The less he smells Yibo the better. His cock is embarrassingly hard and leaking and he doesn’t want to think about it, focusing on the small furrow in Yibo’s brow as he smears some of the smelly gel thing into his palm.

He squeaks when Yibo hand meets his bare abdomen.

Yibo stops, hand covered in the weird shaving gel thing. “Is this okay?”

“Cold.”

“Ah, sorry,” Yibo rubs his hands together for a few moments, giving the shaving gel a slightly more lathered creamy consistency with the friction before patting both hands gently on Xiao Zhan’s belly. “Better?”

Now he just looks like he has come all over his belly. Xiao Zhan chuckles through his groan and motions for Yibo to continue. 

When Yibo doesn’t move or respond, eyebrow cocked and waiting, Xiao Zhan huffs. “It’s fine.”

“Just wanted to be sure.” A lazy smirk curves his full mouth. “Be good.”

“Haven’t I been good already?”

The little brat noses against the length of Xiao Zhan’s cock with a wicked smirk. “Does this look like you’ve been good?”

Xiao Zhan grits his teeth to keep from canting his hips but he loses that battle when Yibo holds up two fingers, looking as innocent as a babe but his pouty mouth is _dangerously_ close to his cock.

“Two?”

“You have two choices.” Yibo licks his lips and smirks, leaning in to rub his cheek against Xiao Zhan’s smooth cock, gazing up at the older man through his lashes as he turns and starts running his lips up and down the warm skin. He had wanted to leave this till after but Xiao Zhan smells so intoxicating and even the awful shaving cream can’t fully overpower it when he is _this close_ to the source. He wants to taste the clear wetness beading at the tip. He wants to bury his nose against his groin with his cock down his throat. He wants to feel Xiao Zhan coming down his throat. On his face. Marking him. 

Marking him as his.

Xiao Zhan is gripping the edge of the dressing table so hard his hands are starting to hurt. He has an idea. He is almost certain of it. He needs to flip this around before he goes out of his mind.

“What are the choices?” He rasps out, his tone near harsh but it is from holding himself together.

Yibo holds up one finger. “Out.” He runs his nose down the length of his cock again, kissing his balls cheekily before straightening. He holds out the second finger. “In.” And he wraps his lips over the swollen wet head of Xiao Zhan’s cock and moans at the first musky taste that is as good as it smells, his eyes fluttering closed, intoxicated.

Xiao Zhan’s cock twitches in Yibo’s mouth and his eyes open up again. 

The older man’s pupils are blown to hell and he is gazing intently down at him. “That depends.”

He pulls off, eyes questioning even as he steals tiny kitten licks of the wet head. There is something in Xiao Zhan’s eyes that is riling him up. Challenging him. He reaches up and grips the base of the older man’s cock and squeezes. 

“On?”

A smile that turns into a smirk and his gaze is half-lidded. He knocks away Yibo’s hand from his cock and fists it himself, pointing the newly dewed tip at Yibo’s mouth and painting his lips with it.

Yibo sucks in a breath and does not move, his mouth parting helpfully. This is Xiao Zhan’s Yiling Laozu face. He told the man the other day that he finds it sexy as hell but never imagined this. He’s going to have a very _hard_ time watching the man during this arc. 

“How much can you take, puppy?”

His jaw loosens further and Xiao Zhan angles the head of his cock, guiding it slowly but surely.

_In_.

He doesn’t get quite to the end when his throat rebels and Yibo gags but he doesn’t back off. Nor does he go forward. He stays, face tilted up, eyes watering. He watches as Xiao Zhan holds up his other hand and makes a fist the wrong way.

“Do this.” He shows Yibo his left fist. “Show me.” The younger man imitates him perfectly. “Now squeeze your thumb as hard as you can and keep squeezing.” 

Yibo’s eyes widen as his throat relaxes enough after that for Xiao Zhan to push the rest of the way in until his pubes tickle Yibo’s nose and his throat convulses spasmodically as he resists the urge to itch his nose but he somehow remains gag-free. His eyes are still watering a little but the smile on Xiao Zhan’s face was worth the temporary discomfort.

He moans around the man’s cock when Xiao Zhan pulls back, but he follows obediently until he stops with just the head between his lips. He takes an experimental suck and the widening of Xiao Zhan’s eyes was worth doing it again.

And again.

And one more time just to see the flare of heat in those beautiful dark doe eyes.

He remembers something else the man had mumbled earlier. Something about his tongue. He sucks heavily, pressing his tongue against the ridged underside of Xiao Zhan’s cock. He is rewarded with a breathless gasp. He sucks again, swirling his tongue around the head, enjoying the sensation and the taste before he pops off. 

Xiao Zhan stares down at his slick mouth. “Definitely in.”

Yibo chuckles and picks up the razor. “Don’t move.”

“I will try.”

“Try _hard_ otherwise I will stop and you can explain why you’re only half shaved.” Yibo warns before leaning forward to wrap his lips around the head of Xiao Zhan’s cock again. He has one hand splayed across Xiao Zhan’s hip, pressing him down _just in case_ , the fingers of that hand holding his skin taut as he starts to shave. His tongue swirls and he starts to hum, completely focused and intent on his task. 

At some point, Xiao Zhan’s cock slips further into his mouth, the head butting against Yibo’s inside cheek and he continues to suck languidly. Drool is gathering and his own cock is so hard it’s probably rock by now, but Yibo’s sole focus is that narrow strip of hair and making sure nothing red appears.

Yibo is so gentle it is almost ticklish. His eyes intent on his task while Xiao Zhan’s eyes are intent on the way his mouth is spread around the girth of his cock as he concentrates. His mouth is wetter than he’s ever seen it and it takes every ounce of concentration for Xiao Zhan to focus on _not moving_. He wants to thrust, he wants to fall deeper into that wet warmth. Yibo’s mouth is like his body, warmer than a normal person. Warmer than anything Xiao Zhan has felt and he wonders for a brief moment how hot another passage might be.

His balls tighten and he squeezes his eyes shut. Too hot. Likely too hot. He doesn’t want his dick to fall off.

He can feel every hum that comes from the younger man’s throat and he wonders if Yibo is doing it on purpose. He opens his eyes and looks down, and honestly, Yibo is absolutely _devoted_ to his task that he doesn’t seem to register anything else. The way his mouth is stretched and saliva is dripping down his chin. His teeth graze his sensitive flesh, especially where he has managed to store the head of his cock in his cheek but instead of feeling pain or discomfort, Xiao Zhan relishes the buzz it sends through his body. Each time it happens, Xiao Zhan’s breath catches even until he has more breath out than in. Thankfully, Yibo is done in mere minutes, wiping away at his belly with a damp towel, but it feels so much longer than that.

Turning his face up to look up at the older man, Yibo hands over the razor carefully. 

Xiao Zhan’s cock feels harder than it was earlier and he suckles experimentally at it. Xiao Zhan’s hand clatters on the dressing table as he drops the razor somewhere behind him. Encouraged, he does the same thing again, swirling his tongue and laving the thick velvety flesh almost lovingly, his eyes never leaving Xiao Zhan’s. Feeling a little braver, he knocks Xiao Zhan’s thighs apart, the man moving immediately which makes Yibo grin. 

Despite the cock in his mouth, Xiao Zhan recognises the mirth in the younger man’s eyes and he huffs, leaning forward to stroke his thumb across a smooth cheek. He wants nothing more than to bury his hands in Yibo’s hair but he is wearing his Lan Wangji hair and several people will kill him if he messes that up. Being the lead will only take you so far. 

He is thrusting shallowly, not making any major movements because he is teetering on the edge and he wants to see what Yibo will do. He did ask the younger man to show him.

As if hearing his thoughts, he watches Yibo wrap his large hand around the base of his cock as he takes him in deeper. He doesn’t bottom out like he did earlier, because Yibo’s hand is so large but Xiao Zhan always preferred his head played with rather than getting deep throated so it works perfectly for him. His vision is getting hazy as he watches that sinful lush mouth suckle lewdly on him. His hand is cupping Yibo’s cheek still as he starts to thrust a little faster, soft groans and Yibo’s name spilling from his lips, unnoticed by him as his eyes flutter shut.

The younger man notices though and his hips jerk, seeking friction but getting nothing. He fumbles blindly with the other hand for the shaving cream, squeezing out some onto his finger tips. He has a mechanical knowledge of how this works and is desperate to feel him. His palm cups Xiao Zhan’s balls and the man’s hips start thrusting faster and he knows he is probably not far off. He follows unerringly from the back of his balls until he feels the tight furl and he moves his finger into position. 

Xiao Zhan’s body registers the touch and his thighs part even more in silent invitation though his brain hasn’t quite caught up with his body, mindlessly chasing his orgasm now.

Yibo likes the feeling of the tight muscle and he pushes against it experimentally, focusing on that as he lets Xiao Zhan fuck his mouth. The gel is smeared around the opening and when Yibo pushes in again, the tip of his finger slips in easily, eliciting a full deep groan of Yibo’s name and Xiao Zhan’s hand tightening against his cheek. Encouraged again, Yibo pushes all the way in.

A finger tip is barely anything.

An entire finger on the other hand.

Xiao Zhan’s eyes fly open at the shock of the intrusion and he comes swearing loudly. “F-fuck Yibo. Fuckkk ahhh. Fuck. Gods. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Hot strips of come coat Yibo’s throat and his gag reflect gives up the battle and he pulls off choking though he has the sense to still hold on. Xiao Zhan’s come paints his lips, cheek and chin and he groans Xiao Zhan’s name through the sensation of his hand being squeezed hard between Xiao Zhan’s thighs. 

“Gege…” he croaks, lifting his tainted face to the older man. “Didi ai ni.”

Xiao Zhan pulls out Yibo’s finger gently before dropping to his knees. Yibo is looking dazed and Xiao Zhan reaches into his shorts. His fingers barely graze Yibo’s cock when he is convulsing in his hand, a strangled sound coming from his throat as he tips over and crashes his come smeared face against Xiao Zhan’s shoulder.

“Love you too, puppy. You’re a mess.”

“I won.”

Xiao Zhan chuckles at the pleased tone, feeling Yibo licking his collarbone.

“Barely.”

“Still a win.”

—

“Well, it’s been an hour.”

“Would you like to ask that lion to move?”

“I think that daemon isn’t going to move until his human is good and ready to move.”

“Thought so…”

— 

"Why is he looking like he wants to murder someone?"

There was no need to explain who the _he_ is as there is literally only one person in the room who looks like he'd dearly love to stick Bichen into something. Or someone.

"Not someone. I think...I think it's directed at Xiao Zhan." Her voice echoes her disbelief.

Likely Bichen's target as well.

Several heads turn to the perfectly still man standing and glaring a hole into the oblivious Xiao Zhan's head. 

"Did they fight?"

The stylist shakes his head. "Not at all. Their daemons were very excitable though, playing catch and chasing each other all over the place. They tripped up my assistant as she tried to avoid them so they sent them away but they made the decision together so I can't imagine him being mad about it."

Since they are either waiting to be needed or awaiting further instructions, the small group of stylists and miscellaneous crew stay huddled together, watching the two men being briefed by the PDs on the scene and the feel they want from it. It doesn't look like Yibo is even listening, not paying anyone but Xiao Zhan any attention whatsoever. While this is normal 99% of the time, it is the look on his face that's out of place.

"It sort of resembles his drinking vinegar face..."

"Why would he be looking at Xiao Zhan like that? It makes no sense."

They watch as the unnaturally still Wang Yibo moves when Xiao Zhan finally turns to look at him, his hand deliberately straightening his already impeccable robes. 

The implacable gaze never wavers.

Xiao Zhan catches the intense glare. Hell, he probably burned from it. They've got to get the scene right because the afternoon is meant for the zongzi shoot and they are slowly running out of time. He notices Yibo's hand and peers at his robes before shaking his head at the man. His robes look fine. 

If anything, Yibo's expression becomes even more unyielding, the pinch in his brow deepening.

The frost must have rolled right off him and into the vicinity because the chatter around them die out slowly until there is complete silence apart from the whirring from the fans and portable AC and clicking from some mechanical device.

A low growl is heard and Xiao Zhan's face mirrors his surprise though Yibo's eyes still don't leave him. They had sent both daemons to timeout for an hour because they had gotten underfoot. It's been less than half that time. The growl intensifies and Yibo's gaze finally leaves Xiao Zhan's, trailing down his body, his gaze both heated and extremely pissed.

Xiao Zhan's ears burn, willing himself not to falter under the very specific scrutiny, but he does hug his copy of the script to his chest because the burn in his ears is going to spread lower unless he contains it.

If he hadn't been staring at the other man staring at him, he would have missed it. The very slightest quirk of Yibo's full mouth.

"What—” his words cut off when he is nudged in the elbow by a very large predator.

He sees Zhulong first, seated calmly on Bailong's back and looking somewhat amused though he is trying to hide it.

"You can't catch a hint, huh?" Zhulong questions amusedly using their private voice. Even he could feel the waves of annoyance coming from Yibo and the fact that his human had been so oblivious to it is quite astounding. Astounding and also a little worrying because it was Xiao Zhan’s lack of action that had driven the lion to leave his den so to speak. 

"I thought we sent you to timeout? How did the two of you get out?"

Zhulong rolls his eyes. “You asked very nicely for us to go to timeout for an hour. Remember what I said last month? The only thing he cannot overrule is Yibo’s command and he said nothing. _You_ sent us to timeout. Bailong can come and go as he pleases.”

Xiao Zhan directs his attention to the scowling lion. “Bailong? What’s wrong?”

Bailong stares at him for a full ten seconds before he turns to Yibo, not bothering to hide the conversation so everyone hears his irritation. “Do you see the problem? Do you understand now?”

Yibo nods imperceptibly. “I will deal with it. You may go now, but stay another hour and this is definitely an order.” His mouth twitches up in the corner. “Be good.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bailong replies huffily before he winks out of sight, Zhulong’s laughter trailing behind him, heard by everyone.

It feels as if everyone has just snapped out of a dream or a hallucination, but in actuality, nothing of the sort happened. 

Yibo says nothing, stepping regally past Director Zheng and into Xiao Zhan’s personal space. He knocks his script aside to _firmly_ snap the gap in his shirt closed.

Xiao Zhan’s jaw drops open, staring at Yibo in disbelief.

“Oh my…” Someone whispers and titters spread throughout the room when the reason for Yibo’s annoyance is made clear.

Several people fan themselves and look away.

“Take your pick. Watch your clothes or I will watch them for you.”

“Wang Yibo!” Xiao Zhan hisses quietly when he gets over his surprise. “You can’t just do that!”

“Try me.” He replies, his voice is absolutely implacable, eyes a deep flashing gold. “Just try me.”

Despite himself, Xiao Zhan’s cock stirs at the possessive warning.

—

“Wanna drink Starbucks…” Xiao Zhan sings a little forlornly. “Wanna eat xiaolongkan hotpot…” he brightens briefly at the thought. “Want some sushi…wanna eat Japanese food. Ramen…”

Yibo is listening but he doesn’t say anything. Several of the crew chuckle at Xiao Zhan and while the other man is distracted by a stylist fixing his hair, Yibo gestures for Biyu to come to him.

The conversation is short and by the time Xiao Zhan is done being fussed over, Wang Yibo is once again alone, and looking disinterestedly at nothing in particular.

The older lead actor pouts and resumes his lament. “Sushi…ramen…I am so hungry,” Xiao Zhan sighs and stares forlornly at the floor. “I want to eat ramen. I want to drink Starbucks. It’s so hot,” he huffs mournfully, trying to get a rise out of the other man. “I’m so hot I want to strip.”

“Mn.”

“Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!”

“Mn.”

“Lan Wangji!”

Yibo hides a smile and turns. “Yes?”

Xiao Zhan clutches at his chest mockingly and sways dramatically. “He answers when I call him Lan Wangji. My heart is broken. Shattered. What a lousy boyfriend.”

“Lousy boyfriend? You want to say that again.”

“Lousy boyfriend!”

Yibo rolls his eyes. “What are you wearing?”

Xiao Zhan pauses to look down at himself. “Your undershirt?”

“Yes. Mine.” 

He bites his lip at the tone because he is pretty sure Yibo isn’t just talking about the drama. His body stirs at a memory from that morning and he shoves it determinedly _down_. They have several more hours of filming and he’s definitely not going to think about that.

Not thinking about that.

Not thinking.

Not.

“So what?” He finally blurts out and this time Yibo turns bodily towards him, his face a picture of disbelief.

“If I was a lousy boyfriend you’d still have a hole in your gut and wearing your tattered robes, now be quiet.”

“Lan Zhan!”

“Wei Ying.”

“Lan Zhan!” His voice pitches higher and he smothers a laugh when Yibo visibly flinches at the sound. “You’re such a bad boyfriend. How are you so bad? Look at me. I am _devastated_ by your lack of attention. What kind of husband are you going to be?”

He swoons to the ground, rolling onto his back and peeking at Yibo whose expression becomes serious despite his momentary lapse earlier. 

“A good one.”

The older man rolls around even more at that. “Did all of you hear him? Hanguang Jun is so heartless. This poor body is weak with hunger and he is claiming he will be a good husband. A good husband is supposed to take care of me!”

“Bailong.”

The cub appears and he calls his gege immediately and they both converge on the laughing Xiao Zhan. While everyone is distracted by the two daemons and one of their lead actors, the other one is conferring with the director about the filming schedule for the rest of the day.

—

No one who had witnessed the exchange between their two leads earlier is surprised when a veritable truckload of Starbucks is delivered an hour later, just in time, for the scene in the Jingshi has just wrapped up.

Sweeping out in his flowing robes to meet the delivery, he is met halfway by Biyu who had already picked out the separate order while the cast and crew converge on the rest of the drinks and finger food.

Xiao Zhan is trying and failing to pay attention to what his own PA is saying to him about his schedule for the rest of the day, his eyes staring longingly out the window at the queue of people getting Starbucks when a drink is stuck under his nose.

His eyes brighten, grabbing it and looking up at the unsmiling young man who had handed it to him. 

“You rushed out to get me one? Wang Laoshi is so kind!” Xiao Zhan chirrups happily, sucking industriously at the cold sweet drink, making rather indecent sounds in his happiness, eyes closed blissfully as he enjoys the cool treat. He pauses long enough to talk around his straw, declaring that Yibo is amazing to have picked out his favourite drink.

Da-Xia fully expects Yibo to say something.

He does not.

Feeling a little put out that Xiao Zhan hadn’t even thanked the man properly for bringing him his favourite drink let alone the fact that he had practically bought half the beans from the closest Starbucks, she opens her mouth to say something but she catches Yibo’s eye and he shakes his head at her. 

Swallowing her sigh, she shrugs and leaves Xiao Zhan’s side. She is surprised when Yibo walks her out.

“Check if Biyu found the restaurant. I know she has some stuff to do today but she can send one of the other assistants to queue if necessary.”

“Okay.”

“Uh…can I ask you a favour?”

“Anything.”

Yibo flushes slightly but Da-Xia pretends not to notice. The man is an enigma, sometimes firm and completely resolute, knowing exactly what he wants and how he wants it, while at other times, he’s uncertain and shy in asking for something. 

“We won’t be returning tonight. The restaurant is at least an hour’s drive from here and I don’t know how long we will be out.”

“What do you need from me?”

“My schedule is mad packed and Biyu has a whole afternoon to deal with the agency to make sure everything works. Could you…uh…”

“Anything,” she reminds him gently. “I can help with anything.”

He rubs the back of his neck, such a Wang Yibo thing to do while dressed as Hanguang Jun that she is momentarily fascinated by the duality. He switches on and off as his character so easily that she finds it quite remarkable especially in someone so young. 

“Get the name and location of the restaurant from Biyu and uh…find us a hotel nearby.”

She is quite proud of the fact that she is certain her expression is still carefully blank. Inside, her daemon is dancing a jig.

“Any preferences?”

“Something a little out of the way. Less known. We’re not fussy people and gege—” he catches himself and the time Da-Xia does smile. 

“I’ll pick something suitable.”

He looks away, face pinking and the colour is stark against his white robes. “I don’t want him to find out though. It’s a surprise. Can you manage that? I’ll pay of course. You can get the details from Biyu.”

“Leave it to me. Are you still flying out tomorrow?”

The young man huffs irritatedly, remembering his schedule. “Yes. I have to shoot Happy Camp with some Yuehua people, but it should be fine. Director Zheng mentioned we just need to shoot the zongzi thing this afternoon and we can go after that and I’m holding him to it. We can probably get away before it gets dark.”

“Do you need anything else?”

This time Yibo wrinkles his nose so tightly Da-Xia has an urge to run her finger along it the way Xuan Lu does to Xiao Zhan to get him to smooth it out. 

“I…uh…I’ve got it. It’s fine.”

Da-Xia hums. Condoms and lube. She’s gonna have to get some of that.

Her daemon is still dancing a jig. 

— 

“Wang Laoshi, are you kidnapping me?”

“Would you protest if I was?”

Xiao Zhan laughs. They are in a private car meant for those with corporeal daemons but their daemons had made themselves scarce a few minutes ago to run an errand. Yibo had then tersely informed his management team of it just in case they needed to swoop in and do some last minute saves PR-wise. Du Hua is apparently on a plane to somewhere or other and by the time she lands, it would be too late anyway. Yibo had shrugged it off and then proceeded to twist in his seat and hook a knee over the arm rest and stare intently at Xiao Zhan.

The car smells faintly of fragrant zongzi the crew had insisted they take with them. They had filmed with fake zongzi but had been provided with real ones to take with them for the festival. The car they are in is more premium than their usual transportation and Xiao Zhan is wondering what the occasion is. The seats they are in are more like airplane business class seats than a normal car seat and it is very comfortable though it also leaves him just slightly antsy. Not in a bad way though because Yibo is with him but he is waiting for someone (or some daemon) to burst forth and yell _surprise!_ at some point.

The interior is so spacious he actually has to lean across the gap between their seats to place a hand on the younger man’s knee. “Lao Wang, where are we going?”

“To dinner.”

“The sun is still up. Are you hungry already?”

“We might be detouring along the way,” he shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m not sure where though but the driver knows. I miscalculated and forgot about the traffic so it will probably take about two hours to get there. You should nap.” He presses a button and his seat starts to lower. 

Xiao Zhan watches for a few seconds before he starts fiddling with the controls for his seat too.

“Lao Xiao.”

“Mn,” Xiao Zhan replies distractedly, playing with the buttons on his seat. He’s found the one for reclining but what about the one for lifting the foot rest. Having his feet up sounds nice. He looks over enviously at Yibo’s seat before pressing more buttons.

“Gege.”

Xiao Zhan does look up this time, feeling his ears burn a little when he is met with a knowing smirk.

“What do you want? You told me to nap,” he pretends to grumble to try and will away the heat in his ears that is slowly travelling to more conspicuous parts of his body.

Yibo opens his arms, his smirk widening. “Come here.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I’m serious. I sleep badly without you and I really want to nap so come here.” 

Xiao Zhan huffs loudly, but he moves anyway. The car is thankfully stopped at a traffic light and the windows are completely tinted but it doesn’t stop the blush.

“Are you sure you can sleep like this?” Xiao Zhan asks suspiciously even though he himself is very comfortable. He is mostly resting on Yibo and the man smells so good he doesn’t really care about anything else. He curls a little and tucks his forehead against Yibo’s chin.

“Anywhere with you is fine.”

“Are you learning more lines from Lan Zhan? Trying to fluster his Wei Ying?”

“I’m trying to fluster my gege.” Yibo corrects, running his hand up and down the gooseflesh on Xiao Zhan’s arm. “Now sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

They fall asleep within minutes of each other, Xiao Zhan holding out once again until Yibo’s even breaths lull him to sleep. He whispers a sleepy promise against the Yibo’s throat just before he drifts off.

“Not letting you go Wang Yibo…It’s you or nothing for me too.”

—

The drive takes longer than anticipated, the traffic was particularly bad and by the time they arrive it is dark and definitely dinner time. They had managed a solid two hour nap together though so are feeling reasonably refreshed.

Yibo can feel himself being side-eyed when they pull up at the back entrance of a large hotel then presumably abandoned as the driver switches the car off and legs it through a back entrance.

“What’s going on?”

“Do you feel like a two hour car ride back?”

“I…I guess not.” 

“Then help me grab our things so we can go.”

Yibo doesn’t stare at Xiao Zhan’s ass as the man teeters over the row of seats at the back to grab their things.

He really doesn’t.

He really _does_.

His throat feels parched and when Xiao Zhan finishes fishing the last of their things, he’s looking a little sweaty and disheveled and Yibo has this insane urge to lick the trickle of sweat dripping from his shiny temple.

“You really didn’t think this through, huh?” Xiao Zhan examines their things with a smile, totally missing the thirsty look Yibo is wearing. 

“It wasn’t planned, you’re right. Now let’s go.”

Their driver returns and palms off a key card to Yibo, murmuring instructions in his ear a little too close for Xiao Zhan’s comfort. Yibo seems comfortable with the man though, patting him on the shoulder as he turns to leave. The driver turns away and tips his cap at Xiao Zhan with a small smirk before he gets back into the car. 

“We’ll be about fifteen minutes. Can you check on the booking status?”

“Right away.”

“Do you know the guy?”

Yibo looks at him strangely. “That’s my driver.”

“What do you mean your driver?”

“He’s the one who drives my car. Everywhere. He’s just hired a different car today.”

Xiao Zhan’s brow furrows cutely. “Really? Isn’t your driver hairy?”

“He just shaved,” Yibo laughs. “He lost a bet to Xuan-ge six months ago and his penalty was to remain unshaved for six months.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, don’t play card games with anyone from UNIQ. They don’t take your money. They take your dignity.”

“Does that include you?”

“Of course,” Yibo replies easily as he turns down corners as if he’s been navigating the building his whole life. “I’m just taking your virtue.”

“My—” Xiao Zhan chokes and smacks Yibo squarely in the middle of his back, making the younger man laugh and hurry towards the bank of elevators. “Wang Yibo!”

“Shhhhhh!” Yibo turns, eyes wide. “We are sneaking around. Can you not scream my name until we’re in our room.”

The elevator arrives just then and they careen straight into it, Xiao Zhan giggling a little hysterically. 

His eyes widen when Yibo covers his mouth with a large palm and somehow manages to both swipe the card and punch the number to their floor. He only removes his hand when the door shuts and the elevator starts to move.

“Where are we?”

Yibo shrugs. “Don’t know.” He looks at the keycard. “Here.”

Xiao Zhan blinks at the name before grabbing Yibo’s hand. “Be honest with me. Is this a kidnapping?”

“Since I’m the one who would be paying your ransom, it seems a little silly to be doing the kidnapping.”

“I…you…ransom…” Xiao Zhan falls silent, his mind whirring. He might still be half asleep. Heck, he might still be dreaming. He pinches himself just as they reach their floor.

Yibo catches the action and the subsequent wince and shakes his head, hustling the man out the door. “You are so fucking silly.”

They find their room easily enough. The curtains are ugly as hell, but other than that, the room is understatedly luxurious and well appointed. 

Tossing their things on the sole king-sized bed, Yibo goes to the bathroom to freshen up.

He finds Xiao Zhan taking photos of their zongzi when he emerges. “What are you doing?”

“Oh great, you’re out. Take a photo of me.”

“For?”

“I want to post our zongzi on Weibo.”

‘With or without me?” Yibo chuckles when Xiao Zhan turns and sends him a mock scornful look. He sighs exaggeratedly and takes the phone he is handed. “That’s me. The Weibo husband.”

“Get used to it.”

_He didn’t deny it._

—

Xiao Zhan is speechless as they are led to a private room.

“You were listening.”

“I always listen to you.”

He stops dead just before he reaches the table and spins slowly on his heels to look at the handsome young man looking at him with a fond smile on his face.

“This morning. The Starbucks for the entire crew. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Yibo wrinkles his nose but doesn’t answer. He moves to his seat, gesturing for Xiao Zhan to take the opposite seat.

The older man ignores him, waiting for Yibo to sit before he moves to sit in the man’s lap. “Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan whines quietly. “How are you human? You’re too perfect to be human. Don’t spend so much money on me. I’m older, I should be taking care of you.”

“No need,” Yibo murmurs and ducks his head and steals a soft kiss. “I like taking care of you.”

“You’re going to spoil me.”

“Zhan-ge deserves to be spoiled.”

“Wang Yibo…”

“Gege…”

“Can I stay here?”

Yibo chuckles and tightens his arms. “They’ll be coming back to take our order and then to serve us later. If your skin is thick enough, you can stay.”

It isn’t thick enough and Xiao Zhan vows to make it up to him later.

“Mark your words,” Yibo murmurs before he takes a sip of his drink.

—

Yibo is frowning at his phone. Xiao Zhan is humming happily, well fed, and a little high from the sake he had shared with Yibo. Shared is very loosely used, he had maybe two sips and is just feeling overly warm from it. 

“Baobei, what’s wrong?” He sings out from his seat. “Turn that frown upside down!”

“Paparazzi were waiting. Did you see them?”

Xiao Zhan sobers up immediately, shaking his head. “Are you okay? Is everything okay?”

“They’re doing damage control right now but apparently not much is needed.”

“Oh?”

“They were waiting for me thinking I was bringing my girlfriend on a date.”

“Then you turned up with me,” Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen. “Wait. Was this a date?”

Yibo looks up and shakes his head fondly at the wide-eyed man. “You’re pretty hopeless. I suppose I should have asked instead of kidnapping you.”

“Hah! I was right! It was a kidnapping!” Xiao Zhan is grinning so widely his eyes are basically half crescents. “And you were denying it the whole time.” He wags his finger at the younger man.

He pockets his phone after shooting off several messages. “Come here.”

Xiao is still grinning when he obeys without question, settling himself in the marginally surprised younger man’s lap and curving bonelessly against him.

“Wang Laoshi, you’ve kidnapped me. Where are you taking me?” 

Yibo presses his nose against Xiao Zhan’s hair. “What does baobao want to do?”

Xiao Zhan hums, thinking about it. He snuggles into Yibo, sighing quietly at the warmth. “If this is a date then it’s our first date. I wanna get you something.”

“No need.”

He pushes himself reluctantly upright to frown at the younger man. “You bought dinner and paid for the hotel. I wanna get you something.”

“It’s late, most of the shops are shut.”

At that, Xiao Zhan turns to press his face against the window to see for himself.

Indeed, a lot of the shops are shutting and he sighs loudly as they pass each and every one.

He allows himself to be tugged back into Yibo’s lap but cups his hands around the handsome actor’s face, gently grazing his fingers in his hair, his mouth pursed in a sad little moue. 

“I want to get you something.”

“I don’t need anything. I have you.” Yibo sneaks a hand under Xiao Zhan’s top, holding him loosely, just wanting to have skin to skin contact. 

Xiao Zhan sighs and leans forward to nuzzle against the side of Yibo’s head. “I’ll figure something out.”

“I have faith in my gege.”

“You’re starting to sound like Bailong,” Xiao Zhan laughs. “Speaking of them, where are they?”

“Daemon League.”

Xiao Zhan pulls away. “Again? Zhulong mentioned about throwing their weight around but I joked that they just need Bailong to talk and it’s a done deal and he looked at me funny.”

“Bailong promised to be good.”

“Did he tell you to be good in return?” Xiao Zhan teases, knowing their habit. He nuzzles and kissed Yibo’s nose. 

“He didn’t.”

—

“You go up first.”

“Zhan-ge?”

Xiao Zhan waves him at the elevator. “It’s fine. I just saw something.” He pushes Yibo into the elevator before stepping out. “I won’t be long. Why don’t you have the first shower. Or run a bath. We can have a bath. I’ll back soon.”

Yibo pouts. “Why can’t I come with you?”

“In the room.” Xiao Zhan looks over his shoulder distractedly. “Wang Yibo, everyone recognises your face. No one recognises mine. I won’t be long.” He steps back into the elevator and kisses the poleaxed younger man quickly on the cheek. “Go!”

The second the door closes, Xiao Zhan runs at full speed to the store he had seen in the corner of the hotel complex. 

—

Yibo paces the room, muttering to himself.

“Did he say come with me in the room? Is he saying what I think he’s saying? I wasn’t even thinking of this but it’s a normal assumption isn’t it?” He pauses to face palm himself. “Wang Yibo, you’re an idiot. A total absolute fucking idiot. What now? It’s late. I can’t just run out and buy lube and condoms. Or can I? Do we need condoms?” Yibo makes a face at the thought. “Ugh, how do I ask him if we need condoms? What the fuck…”

Completely desperate now, he calls his driver.

By the time he hangs up, his expression is torn between embarrassment and being utterly and completely confounded. 

He goes over to the couch where their things had been haphazardly strewn and true enough, he finds the pouch his driver had described in the pocket of Xiao Zhan’s bag. He opens it and laughs out loud.

There’s not one but two small bottles of lube and so many colourful foils he has to laugh. Taking out a handful, it is clear that they had come from different packs but someone had bothered to tear them up to fit into the pouch and for ease of grabbing he thinks. Still looking through the contents of the pouch, he goes to the bathroom to check the temperature of the water in the half-filled bath before returning to the room and sitting on the bed.

Curious, he upends the entire pouch and starts to sort the condoms out, taking half a minute before considering the six piles he has.

_Mint._

_Cherry._

_Banana._

_Strawberry._

_Comfort XL._

_Extra extra extra thin._

There’s the equivalent of three boxes worth of condoms.

Three each of the flavoured condoms and twelve each of the rest.

Chuckling to himself, he starts stripping. He’s going to get a headstart on that bath.

—

Xiao Zhan can hear Yibo singing in the bathroom when he enters the room. The sound is muted and he can’t make out the words but the sentiment is there. Yibo is happy and it makes him smile. He turns on the electronic Do Not Disturb sign and clicks the security chain into place. 

He heads straight into the room with his purchases, stopping dead at the bed when he sees the colourful foil packs. 

“Huh?” He blinks at the frankly ambitious piles of condoms and starts laughing. “Oh god you didn’t have this planned huh? And here I was wasting half my time looking for lube. Should have known.” He sits on the bed and checks out the loot, wrinkling his nose at the Mint condoms and tossing them to the couch. “Nope.” He examines the rest, huffing when he gets to the Comfort XL before he covers his face, his chest heaving. “Aiya…Wang Yibo you are truly not human.”

“Zhan-ge?” He hears a voice calling out from the bathroom. 

“I’m here. Just got in.”

“Have a bath with me,” Yibo shouts out.

“The neighbours didn’t hear you,” Xiao Zhan yells back.

“Have a bath with me!” 

The little shit shouts louder before cracking up, his laughter making Xiao Zhan smile so widely his face hurts. He finds the pouch, examines the bottles of lube approvingly before he scoops up all the remaining condoms back into it. He does remove the lube though when the pouch is filled, setting the two bottles on the bedside table before he turns down the bed and sorts through their things. Yibo’s habit of tidying up so he doesn’t have to worry about anything when he gets back or when he wakes up has definitely rubbed off on him. He hangs up whatever clothes they have, taking their one remaining clean pair of underwear between them into consideration. He can’t go to the airport commando. Xiao Zhan even groans at the mere thought and his cock stirs. That’s a hell to the fuck no if anything. 

He finishes quickly when Yibo starts bellowing again, shaking his head at the loudly hollering young man. Clearly he cares nothing about their neighbours although it is more likely they have no neighbours. He strips quickly, setting aside their clothes, sniffing each one and hanging up the ones that are likely wearable again. 

“Zhan-ge! I’m going to become old and wrinkled by the time you get in here!”

Xiao Zhan pops his head around the door, his bare shoulders showing, laughing when the younger man’s eyes light up. “The impatience of youth!” He mock-scolds. “I’m tidying the room. Give me a minute.”

Yibo groans loudly. “You sure know how to kill a guy. Room versus naked me and the room wins?”

Rolling his eyes exasperatedly, Xiao Zhan gives in and enters the warm bathroom and is welcomed immediately by a huff.

“What?” He knows exactly what.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on having a bath in your underwear?”

“Speaking of underwear, we only have one clean pair left and you’re taking it.”

“Is it mine or yours?”

“Mine, obviously. You already ruined one pair this morning and had to wear your spare.”

Yibo clicks his tongue. “So uncharitable of you to remind me. Boxers or briefs?”

“Does it matter?”

“Your briefs will probably cut off my circulation. I need to dance tomorrow.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’d rather freeball,” Yibo hoots at Xiao Zhan’s scandalised expression. “Ah Zhan-ge. I can always buy underwear in the morning.”

“No need. They’re boxers. Now cover your eyes.”

“Why?”

Xiao Zhan splutters and waves his hands. “So I can get in the bath.”

Yibo cocks his head. “I hope you know that makes no sense.” A glimmer of amusement appears in his eyes. “Especially after what happened this morning.” He beckons to Xiao Zhan with two fingers. “Come here.”

For some inexplicable reason, the way Yibo does that always does Xiao Zhan’s head in and he finds himself moving every single time. He even does it in front of other people, remembering an incident from the previous month when he left the set early and wanted Xiao Zhan to see him off. Xiao Zhan would have seen him off regardless but it was the imperious _come here_ complete with the crook of his fingers that had left Xiao Zhan unable to take issue with it. He had been teased by Zhuocheng and Yu Bin about it later, but he remembers not caring at all what they thought.

“Yes?”

Yibo stretches up and hooks his fingers in Xiao Zhan’s waistband. “Okay?”

He nods but Yibo shakes his head and purses his mouth and he understands. “O-okay.”

“We use words in this house. We are not Lan Zhan and Wei Ying.” Yibo murmurs, keeping his eyes on Xiao Zhan as he tugs the man’s briefs down. 

Xiao Zhan kicks off his briefs and falls into Yibo’s waiting arms. The water is warm, but Yibo’s mouth is warmer. Hotter.

The kiss is rough, teeth clacking the way they haven’t since the first few times they had kissed but neither mind, both laughing against each other’s mouths before slotting back against each other perfectly. The water sloshes over the side but neither notice. Xiao Zhan is astride Yibo’s lap and grinding against him, sucking needily on his tongue as the younger man grips his ass, content to let the older man drive their pace.

Their kisses get deeper and heavier until Yibo groans and pulls back gasping. “Give me a minute.”

Xiao Zhan smirks and starts dotting kisses down the side of his face, to his ear, grazing his teeth against sharp collarbones and gratified when Yibo shudders and moans quietly. He does it again before laving the wet skin with his tongue and then moving lower still until he reaches the water line just over his nipples and is thwarted. Seeing his prize just within grasp (lick) he stares at the metal winking tauntingly back at him before taking a breath and diving under the water, startling Yibo completely and he sits up.

“Baobao?”

Sitting back on Yibo’s thighs, he pouts, water dripping down his face from his soaked fringe. Pushing his hair out of his face, he points at the piercing. “I wanted to kiss that.” He stares at the hardened pink bud accentuated by the piercing. “I’ve wanted my mouth on that since the first time I saw it.”

“That first day?”

Xiao Zhan nods. “Mn.”

Yibo moves to sit up further, moving easily despite the grown man across his legs. “Go on then.”

He doesn’t need to be asked twice, the heat from the water already making him feel a little heady.

The first _touch_ of Xiao Zhan’s tongue against his piercing sends electricity coursing through his body and he tenses, prepared yet unprepared for it. The first _tug_ pulls a moan straight from his chest and Yibo’s head drops back, body arching slightly towards the source of his torture. He doesn’t register anything else but the mouth on his nipple and his hips jerk with each pull as if there is a direct connection between his cock and his nipple.

And truly there is, his mouth dropping open in a gasp as two hands wrap around his cock, doing nothing but gripping him tightly, offering a passage of sorts as his hips cant upwards again. Xiao Zhan’s tongue swirls around his piercing, pulling and kissing and licking at it to the point where the pleasure is so intense it is near painful.

“Xiao Zhan,” he groans. “Gege…please.”

He finally pulls off and licks his way back up, moving to sit astride Yibo’s lap again and aligning their cocks, hissing at the contact as his mouth meets Yibo’s ravenous one.

Knocking Xiao Zhan’s hands off his cock, Yibo grips both their lengths with one hand, relishing the strangled moan against his mouth as his hand starts to move, stroking them together. His other hand wraps harshly around the back of Xiao Zhan’s head, tangling in his damp hair and holding him firmly against his mouth as he drinks in each moan, his other hand moving faster between their bodies. Xiao Zhan is writhing in his lap, as they chase each other, Yibo coming first with a sharp gasp and a near pained moan of _gege_ which pushes the older man to follow, moaning Yibo’s name over and over as his body jerks, spilling into the warm water.

Spent, he falls against Yibo’s body, sliding to fit against him and wincing as his oversensitive cock gets caught between them. He tucks his chin against Yibo’s neck, lips feeling the pounding of the man’s pulse as he tries to regulate his own breathing. His eyes close and he smiles when he feels the curve of a hand around his waist. Yibo’s got him.

They lay in the cooling waters for a few minutes, Yibo idly running his fingers up and down Xiao Zhan’s arm while the other hand rests on his hip, his thumb caressing the divot at the top of his ass.

“Are you tired?”

“Not really. The nap earlier definitely helped but I’m feeling a little boneless and don’t want to move for a bit.”

“Should we check on our daemons? Bailong is back in his timeout with Zhulong.”

“Mn.” Xiao Zhan wraps his arms tighter around Yibo’s waist and squeezes. “Love you. Do what you want.”

Yibo tilts his head down to press his lips against Xiao Zhan’s temple. “Love you too,” he whispers against the damp skin before turning his lips away slightly. “Bailong.”

The daemon appears in seconds, calling his gege along the moment he appears.

“Well…I’m not sure why you called us. You seem to have everything in hand,” Zhulong smothers his amusement as he hops up onto the ledge of the bath near their feet.

Bailong just stretches up and hooks his front paws over the lip of the bath at the opposite end near their heads. He scrunches his nose and turns to his companion. “Still not mated.” He sniffs. “Although…Xiao Zhan does smell more like Yibo now.”

“Ugh,” Xiao Zhan groans and turns his face further against Yibo whose body is vibrating from suppressed laughter. He flicks water blindly in the direction of the cub who squeals and jumps away, slapping at his wet face.

“So did you two raise hell at the Daemon League?” 

Zhulong shrugs as a pouting Bailong joins him on the ledge. “Bailong was pretty convincing.”

“Does that mean we can share a car again?” Xiao Zhan turns to look at their daemons. 

“For now since nothing negative has actually come of it.” Zhulong replies to his human before turning to Yibo. “Du Hua was there, did you know? They called her when we told them we were coming.”

“What did she say?”

“What can she say?” Bailong’s tone is very serious for his form and both humans turn to the small cub. “Xiao Zhan and Zhulong are Ours. Ours to protect and Ours to keep happy and this goes against both. She was fined again for acting without consultation.”

“Again? That’s going to piss her off.”

“Indeed. Watch your back because I don’t know if she will try anything underhanded to teach you a lesson since you’re the only one she can technically act against.” Zhulong warns.

Yibo shrugs and he hauls Xiao Zhan closer still, sloshing the water a little and narrowly missing splashing their daemons. “I don’t care.”

“I care,” Xiao Zhan pushes himself upright. “Don’t do anything stupid please.”

“I just do whatever she asks,” Yibo shrugs again. “Mostly anyway.”

Xiao Zhan huffs but doesn’t say anything.

“Do you need anything? We’ve had a long day and want to sleep since both of you are probably going to need help in the morning,” Zhulong snickers as Xiao Zhan blooms pink and Yibo’s lips curl into a smirk. 

“We’re fine. See you in the morning.”

“Don’t be good.” Bailong’s tone is a little long-suffering, making everyone chuckle, even the embarrassed humans.

Zhulong’s laughter once again is an echo after they disappear.

—

Xiao Zhan starts laughing when Yibo’s hands once again flow over the curve of his ass for the third time. He turns, ignoring the shower spray bouncing off Yibo’s back to press his mouth against the younger man’s. “I think my ass is plenty clean already. How many times do you have to soap it up?”

“I was washing away the soap.”

“Sure, sure.” He laughs throatily as Yibo’s hands once again cup his ass. “Is this why you’re always trying to hit me on the ass? You’ve got an unhealthy obsession with it.”

“Anything with Zhan-ge is always healthy,” Yibo corrects seriously before his hands get more daring, cupping, squeezing, and then trailing his fingers in the crack. “I want to lick you open.”

“Oh my god!” Xiao Zhan pounds at Yibo’s shoulder weakly even as his thighs shake. “You can’t just say things like that!”

“Why not?” Yibo is kneading the plump flesh in his hands. He can feel Xiao Zhan hardening against him. “You said it first.”

“I…I did?” Xiao Zhan gasps as a wet finger scratches lightly over his sphincter. ‘Wh-when?”

Yibo draws back then, gratified by the older man’s whine at the loss of his fingers but he wants to clear this up first. He compromises, resting his wrists along to top curve of Xiao Zhan’s ass and rubbing his hands languidly over the lushness of his bottom. 

“This morning.”

Xiao Zhan’s brow furrows for a moment before his jaw drops. “I said that out loud?”

Yibo chuckles and nods. “You were mumbling but I heard you.”

“Is that why you…”

“Why I what, baobao?” Yibo murmurs along his jaw to his ear. “Tell me.”

“No. Show me. Show me what I said.”

The shower tap is knocked clumsily shut as Yibo presses Xiao Zhan into the cool tiles, the man barely even flinching, so focused is he on kissing back the man threatening to drown him. They kiss as if they are starving, licking and sucking into each other’s mouths as if they want to swallow down the other whole. 

This time it is Xiao Zhan who breaks the kiss first, gasping for breath. “Not here. Bed. I don’t want to fall.”

“I’ll catch you.”

“I know.” Xiao Zhan cups Yibo’s cheek and a blooming warmth erupts in his chest when the younger man leans into it immediately, nuzzling with a small contented sigh. “But the lube is there.”

“Oh,” Yibo’s jaw drops open. “Yeah…about that.”

“Thought you weren’t prepared?” Xiao Zhan teases as he pushes away from the wall, pulling the younger man with him, grabbing a couple of towels for them to dry themselves off with as they exit the bathroom. 

“I wasn’t. Da-Xia jiejie packed it in your bag.”

“She what?” Xiao Zhan stops short, staring at the younger man who shrugs as he dries himself. “She really did?”

Yibo nods. “I told you this wasn’t planned. Well, not planned the way it should have been anyway. If you were left with me it would be spit for lube.” He grimaces. “And you probably wouldn’t like me very much after that.”

“How very Lan Wangji,” Xiao Zhan murmurs.

Yibo jerks his head up, scowling. “I’m not—”

“I know, puppy. Calm down.” Xiao Zhan uses his towel to pat Yibo’s face and push him backwards until they’re in the bedroom properly. The AC is cool on their warm skin and he shivers. 

Yibo silently drapes his towel around the older man’s shoulders and pulls him into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I’m not Lan Zhan.”

“I know. I know. You haven’t read it but their first time was pretty bad,” he laughs. “Actually, I can’t even remember if Wei Ying even got spit for lube,” he grimaces. 

“Well, you have two kinds of lube.”

“Three.”

“Three?”

Xiao Zhan hides his face in Yibo’s neck again. “I bought lube too. Took me forever to find a shop with it which is why I came back later than I thought.”

Yibo laughs heartily at that, not even stopping when Xiao Zhan starts smacking him.

They collapse onto the bed together, grinning at each other. 

“So you wanted to have your wicked way with me huh?” Yibo grins as he gets another loud smack across his abdomen that is more sound than pain. “Did you get a box of condoms too?”

Xiao Zhan sobers immediately at that and leans over the smiling man. “I didn’t buy condoms.”

“Oh.”

“We don’t need them.”

“Oh…”

“You’re not going to ask me why?”

“I…” Yibo searches the other man’s face. “I trust you.”

Xiao Zhan smiles faintly, tracing Yibo’s mouth with this finger. “Now…don’t go kissing anyone else with this mouth.”

Yibo nips his finger. “If I have to for work…I’ll be thinking of you.”

“Likewise.”

—

“Gege…” Yibo bites his lip staring at the priceless treat before him. 

Xiao Zhan looks over his shoulder. “Mn.”

“Beautiful.”

“Aiya…” Xiao Zhan buries his face in the fat pillows, feeling the flush travelling through his body. He is on his knees, ass up and completely exposed to Yibo’s reverent attention. He had been stroking his hands over his hips and doing nothing but stare for a few minutes now. Xiao Zhan’s cock is already hard and leaking from that alone.

He feels the soft biting kisses that start at the curviest part of his ass, Yibo already warning him that he will probably mark him and Xiao Zhan had agreed wholeheartedly. He shifts slightly, pressing back against a particularly spine-tingling bite, feeling the soothing licks and the puffs of air against the slick skin when Yibo chuckles.

Yibo reaches between Xiao Zhan’s legs to pinch the head of his cock, rewarded by a whine and Xiao Zhan backing up against his open mouth as he bites and sucks another mark into his ass. Paler than the rest of his body, the older man’s ass is something Yibo could quite happily stare at for the rest of his days, curving delightfully from his tiny waist, plumper than it ought to be for someone so slim, Yibo had teased Xiao Zhan mercilessly about how all his snacks go straight to his ass and he’s going to have to keep buying him snacks. 

Xiao Zhan’s precum is slippery and slick between his fingers and knowing that he enjoyed the taste of that at least, Yibo coaxes more out as he licks a path to the tight furl clenching in anticipation. 

His first lick is met with a sharp gasp and a bitten off version of his name muffled into the pillows. Loving the sound and the reaction, Yibo does it again, pressing his tongue heavily against the ridged skin and the little tight bud unfurls beautifully under his tongue as Xiao Zhan relaxes his body for him. Whispering a worshipful _gege_ against the opening, Yibo inhales deeply the beautiful musk of the man underlaid by a faint soapy scent. Xiao Zhan had told him to lick him open the way he kisses and so he does exactly that, marvelling in the way the opening practically gasps with him, pulling his tongue in the way Xiao Zhan’s mouth does. 

He brings his precum slick fingers to the slightly looser hole now, rubbing the slippery wetness there, rubbing his finger over the opening and slipping a finger half way in, mesmerised by the way his finger is _gripped_ and the muffled keening sound Xiao Zhan is making into the pillows. Encouraged again that he is doing this right, Yibo grips Xiao Zhan’s ass with both hands, spreading his cheeks as he dives into the wetness.

Yibo is unprepared for how much he loves the smell and taste of Xiao Zhan’s precum in his ass and his groan of pleasure is long and deep, eyes nearly rolling back into his head as he tongue fucks the older man with fervour, chasing the smell, the taste, and the heady wails coming from the older man as he bucks against his mouth. 

Xiao Zhan knows Yibo is a quick learner but this is too much. He is practically mindless from the way Yibo is unerringly doing everything right, licking him open and apart. His balls are wet from the man’s saliva and still he wants more, hips jerking with each sweep and stab of the man’s tongue. He had told Yibo to open him the way he kisses him and the way Yibo is determinedly frenching his hole and eating him out has him near delirious with want. The sensitive nerve-endings around his anus are gripping and clenching, wanting more.

He is about to vocalise it when he feels the stretch of a finger. He rocks back into it, moaning loudly when he feels Yibo’s tongue licking around it. His cock is touched again and he bucks harder, losing the hand and getting a smack across his ass which he supposes he deserved. He tries to remain as still as he can as Yibo squeezes the head of his cock, stroking over the glands just the way he likes it, pinching and squeezing. Xiao Zhan can feel his cock drooling shamelessly and he bites the pillow when Yibo’s fingers pinch the head again, slipping and sliding inside the foreskin, nearly making him scream at the sudden thrum that spikes up his back. 

Desperate to come but wanting the man in him, he twists, gasping into the cool air, his eyes clenched shut against the sensation 

“Yibo.” He sucks in a breath as his loosened hole is breached again by a very slippery finger joining the other. “Yibo please, I need you in me.”

“One more.”

Xiao Zhan groans in frustration but doesn’t argue, burying his face in the pillows again. Yibo is big. Three makes sense. His body jerks as Yibo licks into him with a finger pulling him open from either side.

Yibo’s chin is soaked and his jaw is aching slightly but he ignores the twinge as he swipes the back of his hand across his face. Xiao Zhan’s pinkish brown hole is so beautifully open and swollen from his kisses, the little moue fluttering prettily when he strokes a finger across it. 

“Now, Yibo.”

“I’m here.”

He crawls over Xiao Zhan’s body, pausing to kiss the man who moans hungrily as he suckles on his tongue. Sucking his own taste and Yibo hardens impossibly more at how frantic Xiao Zhan is clawing blindly at him. He rubs his cock against the wetness, joining their precum together and Xiao Zhan wails against his mouth, pushing back against the turgid length but not getting what he wants at the head of Yibo’s cock slips up and rocks against his entire crack.

“Fuck. Yibo. _Now_!” Xiao Zhan growls roughly against his mouth, nipping at his bottom lip. 

Reaching over to grab the lube, he pops the cover and clumsily spills a palmful into his hand before snapping it shut and dropping it on the bed. He groans as he palms his neglected cock, smearing as much of the lube over it as he can.

“Gege, I need to see what I’m doing.”

“Fuck! Go! Go and then you better fucking come back.”

Yibo presses a harsh kiss against that surprisingly filthy and demanding mouth before straightening back up. 

He traces a finger over the twitching hole again before he lines their bodies up. He holds himself up with a shaking arm while the other guides the head against Xiao Zhan’s waiting body and he pushes in.

Hot.

Soft.

Fucking tight.

The spongey walls of Xiao Zhan’s passage grip and hug him and he is distinctly aware of the drawn out groan coming from the man beneath him but Yibo’s vision is whiting out at the edges as he pushes in, never having felt anything even remotely similar to this. Not even close. 

Once he bottoms out. He lowers himself gently down to press over the other man and he finds his mouth again.

“Not going to last,” he manages to gasp out. “So tight. I can’t.”

Xiao Zhan is breathing through his mouth, puffing air into Yibo’s face in short huffs. “It’s okay. I…” he exhales some more, willing his body to relax. The stretch is currently more pain than pleasurable but as Yibo had pushed in, he had nudged and stroked across his prostate and he knows it will get better once he moves. “I’m close too.”

“Can I move?”

“Roll your hips. The way you do when you’re fucking the floor when you dance. Like the other night.”

Yibo drops his forehead against Xiao Zhan’s forehead, voice breathless. “You’re never going to be able to watch me dance again.”

“I jerked off in the shower to that EOEO gif of you in red.”

“Fuck.”

“Yes. Fucking _move_.”

Yibo does. Rolling his hips slowly at first but Xiao Zhan’s mewls get louder and more demanding with each slow stroke, urging him to go harder. Faster. 

His mouth is latched onto a shoulder, both arms caging the older man on either side as he fucks hard into the pliant body beneath him, each stroke pulling nearly all the way out with only the swollen head caught in the loosened grasp of the opening. Urged on explicitly by the very vocal older man unashamed in his need and encouraging in his words. Half his cries are swallowed by the voluminous pillows, the other half moaned into Yibo’s mouth when they meet, his dancer hips snap hard with each thrust, holding back as hard as he can, mindlessly pushing his body to give Xiao Zhan what he wants.

“Yibo. Yibo. There. Right…there…fuck. Harder harder harder ohhhhh. Fuck, Yibooo.” Xiao Zhan shouts his name into the pillow as he comes hard, gasping, barely able to draw breath as his body convulses violently as each of the last few strokes lands dead on against his prostate before stroking past it. Yibo’s hips are exacting and it drives him screaming over the edge, the orgasm so wild he feels it rolling out to every single extremity and keeping him hostage as it strings him out, each wave crashing over him over and over. Even his scalp crawls with it.

The near unbearable tightness pulls even tighter as Xiao Zhan comes, as if trying to draw Yibo in and keeping him there. Xiao Zhan’s body making him feel like it wants to be permanently fused and the fierce clenching of his walls around his cock pushes him over the edge, Yibo’s vision that had been whiting out at the edges, crashing over him completely as he empties into the still convulsing body beneath him groaning _gege…Xiao Zhan…_ like an alternating prayer, repeated endlessly in a harsh whisper as his body jerks the last of its spend into him.

Sweaty, they lie in the silence of the room with only their laboured breathing echoing around them. Xiao Zhan is pinned underneath Yibo but he doesn’t want the younger man to move. Not yet. He gets his breath back first, speaking croakily when it finally steadies enough.

“Kiss me.”

Yibo moves, pressing their mouths together as they exchange soft kisses and kitten licks for a good few minutes, revelling in each other, both seeking the continued contact.

The younger man finally pulls away first with a crooked smile. “I need to clean you.”

Xiao Zhan pouts. “Don’t want you to leave me.”

“Never leaving you, baobao,” Yibo presses their foreheads together and kisses his nose. “I wanna taste you.”

“What do you mean?”

A familiar mischievous smile blooms across the handsome man’s face. “Wanna taste you now with me in you.”

“Yibo, oh my god!” Xiao Zhan’s cheeks burn but he continues to stare at the other man. “You nearly choked on my come this morning, you’re probably going to like this even less.”

Yibo shakes his head. “I just need more practice. It wasn’t the taste, it was the shock and my gag reflex. Gotta work on that.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

He hums and nuzzles their noses together. “I’m here. Later, I won’t go.”

“Later?” Xiao Zhan perks up making Yibo laugh. 

“You want to go again already?”

“You don’t?” Xiao Zhan counters back immediately and he feels a hard cock flex in his ass and his eyes widen. “Already?”

“I’m twenty and you’re hot as fuck.”

“Wang Yibo!”

“You know what,” Yibo murmurs against Xiao Zhan’s mouth. “How about we go again now first and I’ll clean you up later.”

Xiao Zhan can only moan prettily as Yibo pulls halfway out before sinking into his waiting body again. 

—

Yibo traces a finger around the reddened swollen rim of Xiao Zhan’s now-gaping hole. 

“Does it hurt?” He asks, frowning at the sight. Maybe they shouldn’t have gone again so soon. Whitish fluid leaks out as the entrance pulses but the gap doesn’t furl back the way it was. “Did I hurt you?”

Xiao Zhan is sore as hell and sensitive, but hurt is too strong a word for what he is feeling so he looks over his shoulder and shakes his head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Yibo traces a finger again and the way the rim flutters at his touch. “It doesn’t look…”

“Am I not pretty anymore?”

Yibo raises his head sharply and shakes his head. “Zhan-ge is beautiful. Always beautiful.”

“Even when my ass is gaping and your come leaking out?”

Yibo sucks in a shaky breath. “Beautiful.” He affirms roughly as he bends over to lick gently at the fluttering rim. He was right the taste doesn’t bother him and he licks easily into the small gape, feeling Xiao Zhan twitch beneath his mouth and gasp loudly. “So fucking beautiful.” And he presses his nose against Xiao Zhan’s crack and laps at his body.

The older man turns to press his face into the pillow, eyes hot as he feels both overwhelmed and desperately grateful. He doesn’t know how he got so lucky, but he is never letting Yibo go. Ever.

—

Xiao Zhan is still sniffling when Yibo turns him over gently to clean his body and he graciously lies in the horribly sticky patch on the bed, stretching out alongside the older man.

“Don’t lie to me if I ask if I’ve hurt you okay.” Yibo expression is serious as he thumbs away at the older man’s damp cheeks as he pulls the covers up over them. 

“You didn’t hurt me. I promise.”

Yibo stares expressionless into the other man’s eyes and he reads the truth in them. Sighing, he rubs his thumb over a sharp cheekbone. “Why are you crying?”

“Happy tears.” Xiao Zhan leans over, slipping his leg between Yibo’s thighs to pull their bodies closer. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“It’s not luck,” Yibo murmurs, kissing his nose. “I fell in love with you. You are a wonderful person and luck had nothing to do with it. It’s just you. I only want you.”

“It’s you or nothing.”

Yibo nods. “You or nothing.”

Xiao Zhan’s hand ghosts down the hard planes of Yibo’s abdomen to circle around his cock. “You’re hard again. If I didn’t feel you softening as you left my body, I’d believe you were still hard from earlier.”

“Eating you out made me hard.” Yibo’s lips twitch into a gremlin smirk when Xiao Zhan lets out an embarrassed squeak. “Leave it. I can wait.”

“Maybe I can’t” Xiao Zhan’s eyebrow arches. “Wanna taste you.”

“Can you even move?”

The older man laughs. “For you? I can do anything.” His hand strokes Yibo until precum beads at his head. “I have a special skill.”

“Oh?”

“Wanna see?”

“Does it involve your mouth?”

“Maybe.”

Yibo grins and pulls away to lie on his back, hands stacked behind his head. “Go on then.”

Xiao Zhan rather enjoys the pure unadulterated shock on Yibo’s face as he deep throats him in one swallow, managing to laugh around the man’s cock halfway down his throat.

**~~~**

**_19 June 2018_ **

“No healing. I want to feel him for the rest of the day.”

Zhulong wrinkles his nose. “Honestly, the way you smell, I think you should be feeling him into next week.”

Xiao Zhan laughs and pulls his daemon into his arms. “I’m happy.”

“I had no doubt,” Zhulong replies drily as he nuzzles against Xiao Zhan’s chest after determining there are no stray _fluids_ on it. “What the ever loving fuck took you so long though?”

“I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Not an idiot anymore.”

“One can only hope,” Zhulong rolls his eyes. “So what now? We have to go back and he has to fly out. Bailong wants to stay with you though. Are you okay if we switch humans today?”

“Of course. Be good.”

Zhulong starts laughing. “Your mate is rubbing off on you.”

“He can rub one off on me anytime.”

The daemon howls and pulls away. “Oh my god. Are you going to be this gross from now on?”

Bailong appears out of nowhere, jumping on the bed. “Yibo is being gross in the shower too,” he wrinkles his nose. “Told me to tell you to join him.”

Xiao Zhan laughs and sits up. “Alright, both of you be good. You might want to cover your ears or go to timeout for a bit though.”

Zhulong shudders and Bailong covers his face. Xiao Zhan tosses a pillow cover at them, unsure how it came to be parted from the pillow to begin with, only belatedly remembering that Yibo had used it to clean them up earlier when both daemons shriek their indignance at being so poorly treated.

“Told you they’d be terrible,” Zhulong mutters. 

Bailong sniffs. “They still needed to mate.”

“Yes but now they’re going to mate _and mate and mate and mate and mate and ma—_ ” His words get cut off when the cub tackles him and they disappear back into his timeout just as the first moan is heard from the bathroom.

—

“For me?” Yibo’s eyes are round and wide and helplessly pleased as he turns the bag over and over in his hand.

“It’s nothing. I actually saw it earlier when we passed by on the way to the restaurant and thought it would look cute on you and was going to buy it anyway so it shouldn’t really be counted.”

“It’s counted,” Yibo hugs the bag fiercely to his chest. “My first date present and you can’t take it back.”

“But—” the bag wasn’t even expensive. It’s just, Yibo needed a bigger bag since he’s always carrying their things and travelling and Xiao Zhan had been looking out for one for awhile.

“But nothing,” Yibo leans forward to press a kiss to the man still wearing a bathrobe. “I love it. I love you. Now help me pack while I dress.”

Xiao Zhan’s smile is mesmerising as he picks through Yibo’s things. 

“Zhulong and Bailong want to switch today. Is that fine with you?”

Yibo hums as he pulls on his teeshirt from the previous night and a new pair of pants. “I think Bailong wants to see how people react to you now that we’re mated properly,” he laughs as Xiao Zhan huffs. He sits next to the older man and leans in for a kiss. “He’s a possessive little shit.”

“He’s not the one who wanted to murder people because I was showing a little skin yesterday.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Xiao Zhan shudders suddenly remembering the growling daemon. “He wouldn’t, would he?”

“Be good then,” Yibo smirks.

—

“Is there a reason you’re wearing the teeshirt from last night? I have a clean teeshirt.”

“You only just noticed?”

“You’re very distracting,” Xiao Zhan hugs the slightly shorter man as they stand in the door of their hotel room. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I already miss you,” Yibo kisses the mole under Xiao Zhan’s mouth. “I’m wearing this because the paparazzi were disappointed that they had lain in wait thinking I was bring my girlfriend to dinner.”

“Wang Yibo…”

“Just wanted to set the record straight. It was a date and I am proudly doing the walk of shame in yesterday’s clothes.”

Xiao Zhan smacks him across the shoulder. “How can shame and proud be in the same sentence.”

“It can if I say so.”

“You’re so much trouble.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” Yibo sobers, asking seriously.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head immediately. “You or nothing.”

“You or nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can wrangle this into 10 chapters. I CAN AND I WILL.


	9. Boyfriends, Biceps, Bazaar and Birthdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…you know that dodgy ass candy that’s floating around that I low-key find hard to believe isn’t fiction but I’m taking it anyway because ALL CANDIES ARE FAKE…well yeah…

**_Early July 2018_ **

**Ji Li 22:45 So I found something but I don’t know if I should share.**

**Xuan Lu 22:46 If you’re wondering then probably don’t share.**

**Guo Cheng 22:46 Shaaaaaaaaaaaare!!!!!!!**

**Peixin 22:47 Don’t be a tease. Next time if you’re not going to share just don’t say anything.**

**Ji Li 22:48 Okay in the interest of fairness, I’ll take a vote. The next 13 votes that come in with Yes or No to sharing, I’ll go with the majority.**

**Xuan Lu 22:48 No**

**Meng Ziyi 22:48 No**

**Yu Bin 22:48 Yes**

**Haikuan 22:48 No**

**Guo Cheng 22:48 Yes**

**Yu Bin 22:49 Jie!!!!!!!**

**Peixin 22:49 Yes**

**Fanxing 22:49 Yes (unless it’s to do with my parents then no)**

**Yizhou 22:50 No**

**Zanjin 22:50 Yes (sorry da-ge, er-ge but I’m a nosy little thing)**

**Ji Li 22:52 No one else?**

**Ji Li 22:53 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE NEED THREE MORE VOTES.**

**Xuan Lu 22:54 I know codes @Ji Li and your 13 is making me twitch.**

**Xiao Zhan 22:55 Shijieeeee what does 23 mean?**

**Ji Li 22:55 Wei-xiong, vote!!!**

**Xiao Zhan 22:56 I will if Shijie answers @Xuan Lu**

**Xuan Lu 22:57 Aiyo Xianxian you really don’t know? Until now?**

**Haikuan 22:58 The better question is, you really want to find out here?**

**Jiyang 22:59 I’ll play. Yes.**

**Xuan Lu 22:59 Zewu Jun…**

**Zanjin 22:59 LOL**

**Xiao Zhan 23:00 Shijieeeeeeee**

**Yibo 23:00 I vote yes and why don’t you just ask me @Xiao Zhan?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:00 Are you here because it’s 23:00 or did you unmute the chat? @Yibo**

**Yibo 23:00 What do you think @Xiao Zhan**

**Xiao Zhan 23:01 YOU…**

**Yibo 23:01 Oh look it’s after 11. I’m off now bye bye @Xiao Zhan**

**Ji Li 23:01 Oh my**

**Xiao Zhan 23:02 LAN ZHAN!!!!!**

**Yibo 23:03 @Xiao Zhan How did you get that shot? WEI YING**

**Yu Bin 23:04 We are literally third wheeling in GC I don’t believe this…**

**Ji Li 23:04 FEEL MY PAIN @Yu Bin**

**Zhuocheng 23:05 You mean feel OUR pain right?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:05 We are still here you know…**

**Xiao Zhan 23:05 @Yibo You’re off the plane?**

**Yibo 23:06 @Xiao Zhan Waiting for my bag.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:06 @Yibo Why didn’t you just hand luggage it?**

**Yibo 23:07 @Xiao Zhan With two daemons?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:07 @Yibo Oh yeah good point lol. Sorry! You’re coming straight home?**

**Yibo 23:07 @Xiao Zhan Mn.**

**Yu Bin 23:08 Probably a good time to break this out hahaha! @Yibo he was insufferable the last two days.**

**Guo Cheng 23:08 My hair is standing on end seriously. Hey @Ji Li you should have enough votes by now.**

**Zhuocheng 23:08 Oh yeah sorry I vote with Shijie. No.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:09 Heyyyyyy @Yu Bin You’re supposed to be on my side.**

**Yu Bin 23:09 @Xiao Zhan Not when you keep sighing every two damn seconds.**

**Meng Ziyi 23:10 He was pretty bad…**

**Yu Bin 23:10 @Meng Ziyi THANK YOU FOR NOT FAILING ME JIE**

**Meng Ziyi 23:11 @Yu Bin When have I? You want to say that again?**

**Yu Bin 23:11 @Meng Ziyi Errrr…**

**Ji Li 23:12 I knew this would happen. It’s 6 each right now.**

**Ji Li 23:12 Shijie please tell @Xiao Zhan about 23. The class wants to know too but I can guess tbh even with the MINIMAL CONTEXT I CAN DISCERN…**

**Xiao Zhan 23:13 Can someone just tell me since @Yibo thinks it’s more fun to keep me in the dark.**

**Yibo 23:13 @Xiao Zhan It is more fun this way.**

**Ji Li 23:14 We need his vote @Yibo just tell him or I’ll speculate.**

**Yibo 23:14 @Ji Li Go on then Director Nie. Let’s see if Wei Ying lives up to his FOREVER OBLIVIOUSNESS.**

**Ji Li 23:15 You’re sure?**

**Yibo 23:15 I’m still waiting for my damn luggage so yes, amuse me.**

**Ji Li 23:16 So @Xiao Zhan you know what 520 is?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:17 @Ji Li Yes…**

**Yibo 23:17 @Xiao Zhan Say it then so we can be sure.**

**Xuan Lu 23:18 Omg…**

**Xiao Zhan 23:18 @Yibo Are you serious?**

**Yibo 23:19 @Xiao Zhan Why not?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:19 @Yibo …**

**Yu Bin 23:20 Don’t mind us…**

**Yibo 23:21 @Xiao Zhan Still waiting…**

**Xiao Zhan 23:21 @Yibo Wow can you stop? No more gifs like that. NO MORE. 520 I love you. HAPPY?**

**Yibo 23:21 @Xiao Zhan Mn.**

**Zhuocheng 23:22 Okay this is really getting ridiculous. Do I have to plan a wedding? Are you two dating? Wei Wuxian you’re getting sent off with charcoal if you’re not truthful!!!**

**Xuan Lu 23:23 A-Cheng! We are not sending him with charcoal in any scenario!**

**Xiao Zhan 23:23 I was just answering the 520 thing why are you all up in my face @Zhuocheng**

**Yu Bin 23:24 Is it just me or is it hilarious that he just used a meme of WWX hiding behind LWJ…If that wasn’t an answer I don’t know what is.**

**Ji Li 23:24 Lol good point @Yu Bin**

**Ji Li 23:25 Okay @Xiao Zhan so 2 is love what is 3?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:25 3? San?**

**Ji Li 23:26 Is he really this slow @Yibo**

**Xiao Zhan 23:26 @Ji Li HEY!!!**

**Yibo 23:26 @Ji Li You have no idea HOW SLOW…**

**Yibo 23:27 Baidi and Chidi both say SUPER DUPER SLOW.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:28 Wow seriously ganging up on me now? Seriously? You want to sleep in the lobby?**

**Yibo 23:28 He obviously doesn’t get it @Ji Li if he’s threatening me at this time stamp.**

**Ji Li 23:29 @Yibo I used to feel sorry for him but now I think the pitiful one is you omg.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:29 Wait…**

—

Xiao Zhan buries his face in the pillow on Yibo’s side of the bed. They don’t normally pick sides but with _The Wall_ being what it is, Yibo had insisted.

**23:30 I can’t believe you’d admit it in the GC.**

_**23:30 I yelled it in a roomful of people during Shijie’s interview session. It’s not my fault you keep shrugging it off. I’m not ashamed. Are you?** _

**23:31 Of course not.**

_**23:31 So what’s the problem?** _

**23:31 Do you have your bag yet?**

_**23:32 Yeah we just got in the car now. I’ll be home by midnight.** _

**23:32 Good. I’ve missed you…**

_**23:32 Do you miss me or you miss this?** _

Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes. 

**23:33 That’s a part of you isn’t it? I missed all of you.**

_**23:33 Even this?** _

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen and he immediately calls the other man.

“Lao Xiao, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure?”

“Were you crying? Is that Ma?”

“Yes and yes.”

“Baobei…what happened?”

Yibo sighs and slouches in the seat. The two daemons in his lap raise their head quizzically but he shakes his head at them. 

“You know if I didn’t know you love me, the lack of knowledge you have about me would probably have killed me a long time ago. I’m just too stubborn to let it bother me.”

Xiao Zhan exhales loudly. “Okay, that’s fair. You even know my favourite toothpaste. You had a head start. Give me some time?”

“No need. I have you. It’s fine.”

“And to answer your question, I miss that part too. Anything you want to give me, I’ll take, alright? And you have all of me too. Everything.” Xiao Zhan laughs quietly. “In all honesty, your blond phase gives me guilt issues.”

“Because of my age?”

“Yes. And you’re so pretty it should be illegal. Bet all the girls in your agency hated you.”

“You wouldn’t be wrong,” Yibo mutters almost to himself.

“Ah…baobei. We don’t care about them.”

“I know.”

“I love all of it okay? The pretty blond thing and the hot dancing laoshi driving China mad.”

“Okay.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be okay when I get home.”

Xiao Zhan hums. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

“Love you.”

“You mean 23.”

“And you mean 28?”

Xiao Zhan laughs. “I’ll do-over the 23 and 28. See you in a bit.”

“Bye bye.”

—

**Xuan Lu 23:30 Ah does Xianxian get it now?**

**Haikuan 23:30 No Mianmian jokes please.**

**Yizhou 23:31 @Haikuan You’re still awake?**

**Ji Li 23:31 @Yizhou You’re awake too.**

**Yizhou 23:32 @Ji Li How am I supposed to sleep with you literally vibrating in the bed?**

**Zanjin 23:32 Wait a minute…**

**Zhuocheng 23:33 Am I the only one NOT sleeping with my roommate?**

**Yu Bin 23:33 @Zhoucheng You’d be so lucky.**

**Zhuocheng 23:33 Yuck no thanks.**

**Ji Li 23:34 CAN EVERYONE PLEASE SHUT UP WE ARE WAITING FOR WEI WUXIAN TO VOTE**

**Guo Cheng 23:34 I thought we were waiting for him to figure out 23?**

**Fanxing 23:35 Jingyi!**

**Peixin 23:35 And 28…**

**Xiao Zhan 23:36 Does everyone know?**

**Haikuan 23:36 Yes**

**Xuan Lu 23:37 Yes**

**Meng Ziyi 23:37 Yes**

**Yu Bin 23:37 You took so long even I figured it out.**

**Jiyang 23:38 Loud and clear. It’s very cute I have to say.**

**Yibo 23:38 Thank you.**

**Guo Cheng 23:39 Yes from all three of us. Jin Ling’s phone died and he’s fighting with Sizhui over his phone because he wants to post a meme.**

**Yu Bin 23:40 Just charge the damn thing.**

**Ji Li 23:41 Do I need to be sure he got it? @Yibo**

**Yibo 23:41 @Ji Li He called me. It’s fine. He knows.**

**Ji Li 23:42 @Yibo Oh great! Okay so what’s your vote @Xiao Zhan?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:42 @Ji Li I vote whatever @Yibo voted.**

**Ji Li 23:43 Of course you would… Okay ladies and gentlemen… I present… @Yibo please don’t kill me.**

**Yu Bin 23:44 HOLY SHIT. IS THAT A SKIRT? LIKE AN ACTUAL SKIRT?**

**Xiao Zhan 23:44 …**

**Haikuan 23:44 You look very good @Yibo**

**Zanjin 23:45 Yes. VERY VERY VERY good.**

**Fanxing 23:45 I should have checked the votes and realised I was counted as a No… I’m sorry @Yibo**

**Yibo 23:46 It’s okay @Fanxing. And @Ji Li here’s a closer shot.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:47 @Yibo You just had that lying around in your phone??????**

**Yibo 23:47 @Xiao Zhan Why not? It’s public knowledge anyway.**

**Xiao Zhan 23:48 Right.**

**Guo Cheng 23:49 Is it just me or is there a weird tension in GC right now…**

**Yu Bin 23:49 @Guo Cheng Welcome to the third wheeler’s club.**

**Xuan Lu 23:50 As expected, our Hanguang Jun looks beautiful in anything.**

**Zhuocheng 23:51 Hey @Haikuan since you’re supposed to be even more peerless than our Second Jade here, where’s your short skirt and knee highs photo? For comparison purposes of course.**

**Yu Bin 23:51 Sure for ‘comparison’.**

**Haikuan 23:52 Alas, I think they got the order mixed up. Hanguang Jun is #1 for me.**

**Fanxing 23:52 Go Father! Sorry, Uncle……….**

**Guo Cheng 23:52 Go Lans!**

**Zhuocheng 23:53 Go Jiangs!**

**Ji Li 23:53 Go Nies!**

**Yu Bin 23:53 Go Wens!**

**Haikuan 23:54 Sorry the Jin in this room went out to get a snack from the vending machine and he didn’t take his phone.**

**Xuan Lu 23:55 A-Xuan is asleep… I guess I’m a Jin by default…**

**Zhuocheng 23:55 No, A-Jie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Peixin 23:56 A-Niang I’m here! Go Jins!**

**Zhuocheng 23:56 So you figured out how technology works. Congratulations.**

**Ji Li 23:57 Waiting for a certain chaotic bi to pipe up…**

**Zanjin 23:58 You’ll be waiting awhile @Ji Li. I doubt they care about their phones anymore. @Yibo’s car pulled up a few minutes ago and I’ll give you ONE guess on who was waiting to greet him wearing a familiar black hoodie and track pants set that definitely doesn't …**

—

**Xiao Zhan 00:28 Yes, the timestamp is right.**

**Ji Li 00:29 Did you just… @Xiao Zhan**

**Yu Bin 00:29 He did.**

**Guo Cheng 00:30 He definitely did.**

**Fanxing 00:30 Happy dance!**

**Yizhou 00:31 Am I the only one who got the message that we have to be in hair and makeup at 7am???**

**Yizhou 00:31 @Xiao Zhan Congratulations.**

**Yibo 00:32 @Yizhou Thank you.**

**Yibo 00:32 Ooops.**

**Yu Bin 00:33 Please at this point we just figure you’re swapping pretty much everything. Clothes… daemons… spit… phones… among other things…**

**Xuan Lu 00:33 I’m breaking this out again.**

**Yibo 00:34 @Xuan Lu Thank you, Shijie.**

**Xuan Lu 00:35 @Yibo Goodnight Xianxian.**

**~~~**

“Late night?” The makeup artist asks, mostly rhetorically to Yibo who can’t seem to stop his jaw cracking yawns. The lines his bracket cheeks make when he yawns or smiles had caused the makeup team a fair amount of anxiety at first with the constant touch-ups to Lan Wangji’s jade-like complexion. It takes less than a week for those on Xiao Zhan’s duty to complain louder than when they are on Wang Yibo duty for the older actor basically sweats his makeup off on such a regular basis that even they have started carrying fans simply to preserve their own sanity if the man happens to misplace his. 

Yibo hums and settles back quietly in his chair, closing his eyes. “Flew back last night. Got in around midnight.”

“Didn’t sleep well?”

The young man scrunches his nose. “Slept well.” His tone indicating the conversation is at an end.

He exchanges looks with his peer working on their other lead who is dozing in his seat. It is widely known that the two of them share a room and apparently more than that as well if their daemons are anything to go by. 

A white rabbit is asleep in Yibo’s lap, a small brown lion cub asleep in Xiao Zhan’s.

—

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Well, it is a BL drama.”

“We don’t need an onscreen kiss to prove this is a BL drama.”

“Yes, but if we manage to get international recognition for this, the audience is different.”

Director Zheng stares at Yang Xia. “Have we been watching the same footage?”

She grins good-naturedly. “I know, but sometimes the international media and audience can be pretty…how do you say this nicely…”

“Blind? Thick? Dumb?”

She shakes her head but accepts his answers anyway. “Among other things.”

“Well,” he huffs and waves in the vague direction of their two leads resting under one of the tents. “Have at it then. You’re paying for the extra CGI for any trees that require uprooting or smashing.”

“I knew that extra money from the Daemon League would come in handy.”

—

“Did you hear?”

“The only thing I can hear are these fucking bugs buzzing around my head what the fuck!” Ji Li swipes violently around his head. “I hate this. Why did we have to reshoot ugh. Fuck. I don’t know how many fucking bugs I’ve consumed. Fuck!” He slaps his hand hard and grinds his teeth in annoyance.

“Well, this might improve your mood,” Zhu Zanjin declares jauntily, his dimples so deep that Haikuan who had been conversing with Cao Yuchen is quite distracted by them.

“What’s going on?” Yizhou asks although in truth, the mischievous look in Zanjin’s eyes mirror Ji Li’s when he’s up to no good and he’s sure he will be regretting asking the question.

Zanjin points to their leads staring at each other very uncharacteristically.

Uncharacteristically for their real life interactions that is, for they are solemnly contemplating each other’s faces and there are no cameras pointing at them.

Well, no cameras that they can see anyway.

“I overheard Director Chen giving them instructions.”

“And that’s abnormal how?” Ji Li asks snarkily earning him a very brotherly cuff to the back of his head from his onscreen brother. “Owwwww! Da-ge! Kiss it better!”

Haikuan and Yuchen both choke on nothing while Zanjin just snickers as Yizhou cuffs the younger man again instead.

“Calm down! You guys read the novel right?”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“Unfortunately.”

“No.”

Zanjin turns to Yizhou, his eyebrows raised. “You really didn’t read it?”

The larger man shrugs. “I’m hardly in this drama and the script is detailed enough. Director Zheng and Director Chen are great at giving instructions so why do I need to read it?”

He makes a clicking sound with his tongue while Ji Li latches onto his older brother’s arm and promises to give him a summary of all the extra chapters later. Both Haikuan and Yuchen’s faces are burning by that point and they hurriedly gesture to the laughing Zanjin to get on with his story.

“Well, Director Zheng just gave instructions to our Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji about the Phoenix Nighthunt scene.” When he is met with confusion, he elaborates with a smirk. “ _That_ scene.”

“What?!!?” It shows how preoccupied the two leads are when even Ji Li’s high pitched shriek doesn’t shake them from their quiet conversation.

“Wow,” Yuchen looks around. “Where’s Lulu. She’d definitely want to be here for that.”

“Are you serious?” Haikuan asks, brow furrowed so deeply that his forehead ribbons goes crooked. 

Zanjin absentmindedly tiptoes and fixes it while Yuchen wanders off to find Xuan Lu and Ji Li is still staring slack jawed at him in disbelief. 

Yizhou shakes his head. “I probably don’t want to know if it involves them and Ji Li still can’t speak.”

Ji Li clutches Yizhou’s arm tighter. “Da-ge…it’s a kiss scene.”

“I said I didn’t want to know,” the man growls but he doesn’t shake the younger man off.

“Actually, you said you _probably_ don’t want to know,” Zanjin corrects with a sunny smile that makes Haikuan laugh.

“They have you there, da-ge,” the tall man points out with a fond smile. 

All four of them are distracted when Xiao Zhan and Yibo finally move, heading towards a more secluded part of the wooded part they are in. 

“Should we follow them?” Ji Li asks even as he starts moving after them, dragging Yizhou with him.

This time the man does shake him off. “I’m not coming along. They don’t need an audience.”

Ji Li whirls around with a huff. “They’re practically boyfriends. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s what Zhanzhan was trying to say in GC last night with his _oh the timestamp is right_ and it said LOVE BO.” He points out, his voice a mixture of irritation and for some reason, deep fondness. “And you even congratulated them!”

“Just because I’m happy for them doesn’t mean I need to be fed their dog food.”

Xuan Lu walks breezily past at that point, her voice light and airy. “Well, I’m in need of some good old fashioned dog food. You can stay here if you like.”

“Shijie, wait for me!” Ji Li doesn’t waste any time chasing after the pretty woman holding onto Yuchen’s gentlemanly arm.

“You coming?” Zanjin turns to Haikuan who sighs and nods. 

“You too?”

Haikuan rubs his nose and shrugs at the older man. “Honestly, I feel a little invested at this point. He is my baby brother.”

Wang Yizhou watches the two men wander off after the trio, sleeves brushing, pinky fingers hooked together but who’s to say he saw that. If anyone asks, he didn’t see anything. There’s _a lot_ going on amongst the very young cast that he pretends not to see and vice versa.

With a hefty sigh, he straightens his shoulders and follows after his cast mates.

—

“If the soulmate scene is supposed to replace this one, how are they supposed to slot this in?”

Xiao Zhan shrugs, leaning his shoulders against the trunk of the tree they had chosen, primarily for the lack of creepy crawlies rather than for its aesthetic. It’s a pretty sad looking tree as far as trees go but Yibo had freaked out over the first two trees because of some poor little stick insect and Xiao Zhan is honestly feeling too hot to tease the man about it so they had just picked another tree. 

A tree that is apparently infested with an army of ants carrying leaves. In all fairness, Xiao Zhan isn’t too keen on leaning against that one either.

Both directors had been fine with whatever tree they choose since no one is going to be interested in the tree and they can always add in CGI if they have to.

He has absolutely no doubt that no one will be interested in the tree. What he is interested in though, is why they feel the need to add this in and now of all times.

“If you don’t want to do this, we can tell him. He made it clear it was completely up to us and nothing changes if we refuse.” Xiao Zhan notices some movement behind Yibo at that point and his lips curl slightly. “If it helps in your decision-making process, we have an audience.” He nods towards the group trying to hide in the foliage.

Yibo whirls around, his eyes narrowing. “Xiong-zhang!” He calls out sharply. “Shijie?” His tone softens immediately. “Da-ge?” Now his tone is just incredulous. “What are you doing here?” He directs the last one to the fourth man trying to disappear behind Xuan Lu’s slight frame, irritation returning to his voice along with a healthy dose of confusion.

Xiao Zhan marvels at the entire thing. To think he had thought he needed to teach Yibo how to express emotion on that second morning. He is extremely amused to see Yibo doesn’t bother questioning Ji Li’s or Zhu Zanjin’s presence though.

He pushes away from the tree and slips an arm around Yibo’s waist, feeling the man freezing at the intimate touch. 

“Calm, puppy. Let me handle this,” he murmurs into the younger man’s ear, pressing his mouth against the blushing curve.

Yibo nods, lips pressed tightly together but he takes a side step and fits himself against Xiao Zhan until they are touching from shoulder to ankle. 

The onlookers raise their eyebrows at that, a couple of jaws dropping when they see Xiao Zhan’s arm tightening around Yibo’s snatched waist, made to look even narrow thanks to the sash around it, until black and blue overlap and his hand is firmly caressing his abdomen, dropping low with each idle sweep.

“Gege…” Yibo’s voice is a little strangled and barely audible. 

Only Xiao Zhan hears it.

“Gege ai ni,” Xiao Zhan smiles and turns, kissing the younger man’s temple, fully aware of the muffled gasps around them. Their audience has grown.

“Didi ai ni,” Yibo whispers shyly, turning to fit himself closer against the older man, turning away from their cast mates to wrap his arms around Xiao Zhan’s waist.

Xiao Zhan returns his attention to the cast and crew now watching them in silence. Their daemons are once again on some daemon-related mission and though he can call them back easily, he’d rather deal with this himself than use their powers to block them from sight.

It’s not like he is ashamed of the handsome young man by his side and so he decides not to mince his words.

“Yibo and I are together and have been since training week.”

“Like boyfriends?”

“Yes, boyfriends,” Xiao Zhan replies immediately.

“Training week?” Someone yells out, aghast. Xiao Zhan thinks it might be Ji Li.

“Training week?” A quieter echo by his side. “Wow, are you—” The voice is silenced with a squeeze.

“Congratulations!” Someone else shouts, sounding remarkably like Director Zheng and they are surrounded by various echoing versions of the same.

Ji Li is suddenly in their faces with Xuan Lu in tow, peering at both of them closely. “You know, I suspected but since training week? When Yibo was away for most of it? Damn, Zhanzhan please teach me your ways.”

Yibo huffs. “Why does it have to be him? It takes two hands to clap.”

“He’s six years older?” Ji Li replies with a slight question in his tone.

“It doesn’t matter,” Xuan Lu declares brightly. “Can I hug you? I’m so happy!”

Yibo allows her to hug him awkwardly, Xiao Zhan more than making up for it by squeezing her tightly against them one-handedly.

Haikuan is surprisingly next, his placid smile wider than they have ever seen when not directed at Zanjin. “Was it the blond?”

Xiao Zhan chokes and smacks the man good-naturedly on the arm, shaking his head.

“What blond?” Yibo asks curiously. “He showed you the blond photos I sent him?”

“Agonised over them in front of me more like it.”

“Stop giving him ammunition!” Xiao Zhan protests.

Yibo bursts out laughing. “Zhan-ge…so you really do have a thing for my blond phase.”

Ji Li perks up at the topic and hurries to insinuate himself back into the small circle. “Who didn’t? You were so confusing to anyone no matter their orientation. Seriously. You were gorgeously…lush.”

“Back off.” Xiao Zhan remarks half seriously, pushing the wide-eyed younger man away from Yibo’s elbow and making his love laugh even more. “Whatever colour his hair is, he’s mine.”

“Pretty sure he was yours even before you realised he was,” Xuan Lu murmurs, remembering the constant _23_ in Yibo’s messages that Xiao Zhan had questioned on the bus one night early during their training days.

Yibo catches it and sends a quiet smile her way. “Shijie is my favourite.” He declares jokingly and gets a painful squeeze in the side. “After Zhan-ge of course. Everyone is after Zhan-ge.”

He gets a laughing kiss to the cheek for that, to the sound of loud cheers.

—

“Well…”

“Well indeed.”

“Do we really need to film the kiss scene? It feels…it feels like it will cheapen their real relationship somehow. I really don’t think we need it.”

“We don’t need fan service to sell this. They’ve sold it from the beginning. Let’s not involve their personal lives.”

Yang Xia stares at the tall handsome couple surrounded by cast and crew alike, fielding questions and accepting good-natured ribbing and teasing.

“No,” she shakes her head. “You’re right, we don’t need it.”

Both directors look at each other, sighing in relief as they too join the crowd around their lead actors.

**~~~**

**_Mid July 2018_ **

“I’ll do some push-ups,”

“You don’t have to.”

Yibo shrugs. “I already know you guys took a gamble on me. I know I’m not built the way he’s meant to be and—”

“Young man!” Director Zheng interrupts him firmly. “You are Lan Wangji. To me, to Director Chen, to Yang Xia, and to everyone else who has ever worked on this. You breathe life into him and you breathe the emotions into him. You portray so well the fact that he has strong emotions that he has to keep hidden _and you understand that_. The size of your biceps or whatever doesn’t detract at all from what you’ve done for this character.”

“Thank you,” Yibo bows a full ninety degrees which is how Xiao Zhan finds him.

“What’s going on?” Xiao Zhan steps in close to Yibo who has straightened. “Did something happen? Can I help?”

Xiao Zhan is given a short summary while Yibo moves off to a small learning and starts doing pushups.

“Thought you don’t need to do them?” Bailong asks curiously. “I think gege can probably create an illusion if needed but I don’t know if it will be seen on camera.”

“No need,” Yibo huffs out. “Maybe sit on my back though. I’m too light and this is too easy.”

“Too easy he says,” Xiao Zhan murmurs, watching the sharp lines of the younger man. “Director Zheng says you’re very stubborn.”

“You would know,” Yibo pauses in a plank position. “Are you going to help or are you just going to stand there and gawk?”

“I agree with him though.” Xiao Zhan squats down by Yibo’s head and turns his fan towards the younger man. “You are everything and more. You don’t need to do this.”

“The cameras are not very forgiving. Just help me, please.”

“What do you need?”

“Some weight. Just press down on my back, I’ll tell you if it’s too much.”

Xiao Zhan starts off exactly where he is, pushing down against the younger man who is still doing push ups effortlessly. 

“Do you still need me?”

Yibo pauses again and turns to look at his daemon. “Depends. Zhan-ge seems to think I’m a fairy princess the way he’s pushing on me like I’ll break. If he doesn’t improve, I’ll get you to sit on me.”

The older man huffs and stands. “Do you want me to sit on you?”

“Maybe if I’m facing the other way.”

“Wang Yibo!” 

“Just push down harder. I’m not going to break.”

Xiao Zhan leans over, this time tilting forward to rest his weight on the younger man’s back. He can feel Yibo’s muscles sliding beneath his hand as he goes down and pushes up.

“Better,” Yibo bites out.

—

“This is the boy you told me doesn’t like physical contact so when I dress him I have to be careful?”

“Your name isn’t Xiao Zhan.”

“Ah, so it’s like that, is it?”

Director Chen laughs. “Good to know that gossip didn’t even travel within our set. They declared themselves a couple of weeks ago. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.”

“Honestly, what they do is their business. They film beautifully together though and I’m actually extremely regretful this was based on a BL novel because if it were anything but, there would be a string of directors who would want to cast them together. Their chemistry onscreen is something I haven’t seen in a very long time. ”

“Offscreen too.”

Director Zheng shakes his head. “I don’t care what they do offscreen. No one should. They are always professional to the point where if Yibo were my son I’d tell him to slow down. His agency is running him into the ground.”

“Isn’t the Daemon League keeping an eye on it?”

“Yes, but if Yibo says yes, what can they do? All I can do is make sure they’re looked after when they’re in my care.”

“Speaking of which, are we really setting them up separately in Guizhou next month?”

“It’s not just for them. I’m using their daemons as an excuse for one. The place is not much more expensive than the normal accommodation and would give them some privacy. If this drama turns out the way I hope and think it will, they will not be getting much of that any longer. It’s the least I can do.”

“Fair enough,” her eyes wander back to the couple. “You know, when Yibo got mad about Xiao Zhan’s outfit last month, I thought it was one-sided.”

“It’s definitely not.”

“I can see that.” 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Director Chen groans before laughing with the other two. 

—

“Cut! Cut! Aiya, we really can’t have this face again.”

Yibo turns and splashes water at Xiao Zhan. “Again? That wasn’t me! I was just sitting here.”

“Watch the costume!”

“It’s black. It’s fine,” Yibo grumbles. He turns to the bemused director. “What’s wrong with his face?”

Several people turn away, trying not to laugh. They saw it too and wholeheartedly agree with the director. To be fair, they both have this look on their faces on occasion but the younger man is also extremely adept at wiping his face completely free of any emotion when it comes to filming and in a way, that is much easier. Xiao Zhan on the other hand doesn’t appear to be even aware he has the look on his face judging by the confused expression he is currently wearing.

Director Zheng gestures for Yibo to come out of the water. While his crew snickers around him, he pulls his two leads aside.

“Your face when you notice the scars is fine. It’s just your before and after expression that needs some work.”

Yibo shoves Xiao Zhan. “See? Knew it was you.”

Xiao Zhan makes to shove back but Yibo holds his hands up and smirks. “Can’t touch me otherwise your handprint will show.”

He kicks out instead, not seriously, just to make a point to the younger man. Yibo takes it without reprisal, deciding to be magnanimous since it wasn’t him who ruined the shot. _Again_ too.

“You said to look at him like I want him. Right?”

This is news to Yibo who chokes and hides it behind a cough. “Ah, Zhan-ge can’t even pretend to want me. First you ignore my love declaration then you barf at my other love declaration and now this,” he sighs mournfully. “This didi has such a difficult life.”

“Actually the instructions were to look at him like you want him but can’t have him.” Director Zheng replies amusedly. “And this is the third time I’ve had to yell cut because that’s not the look on your face.”

“Oh? What is the look?”

“Your face says you want him _and you will have him later_.”

There is a beat of silence before Yibo starts howling with laughter. As if a dam breaks, the rest of the crew start laughing too, much more quietly of course but it really is rather funny.

Xiao Zhan groans and crouches, covering his heated face.

What can he say? They’re not wrong.

—

“Have me later huh? Someone should be so lucky.”

“Shut up.” Xiao Zhan tugs at Yibo’s pants. “Off!”

“You want it, you work for it.”

Xiao Zhan makes a sound like a bitten off whine and drops to his knees.

Yibo laughs throatily and drops his head back against the door to their room, not helping the older man with his pants. He does helpfully toe off his sneakers though because no doubt they’ll get in the way of any form of pants removal. They have a couple of hours before needing to report to hair and makeup for their night time shoot and Xiao Zhan had been chomping at the bit the entire car ride home. Apparently, no matter how much skin Xiao Zhan sees in private and the fact that all that skin belongs to him, especially when said skin is seen by others seems to do something to him.

Since Yibo isn’t all that different, who is he to take Xiao Zhan to task for it? 

He swallows a groan when Xiao Zhan manages to figure out his very uncomplicated long shorts and yank them down along with his boxer shorts.

Pressing his face against Yibo’s half hard cock perking up slowly but surely, Xiao Zhan is content _for the moment_ to simply inhale. Closing his eyes, he nuzzles into the short hair that Yibo keeps neatly trimmed. No razors near his junk is the rule, but he seems alright with a pair of nail scissors whether wielded by himself or Xiao Zhan. 

It takes him a few moments before something registers and he leans back slightly, blinking up at Yibo. 

“Why do you smell like sandalwood?”

Yibo tilts his head down and cards his hand through Xiao Zhan’s still damp locks. He had been given the option of keeping his wig on or off, and both of them had opted for off. They’d rather go through the tedium of getting it fixed again instead of spending two hours holding their heads and necks stiffly and being unable to lie down properly because of their hair. 

“There was sandalwood soap in the showers. You didn’t use it?”

“I didn’t see it,” Xiao Zhan admits. “I just used your shampoo as soap.”

“Gege just wants to smell like me.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes pin the younger man. “Yes, gege wants to smell like you always.”

“How badly do you want it?”

His eyelids flutter closed at the hint of iron underneath the seemingly innocuous question. He nuzzles against the soft, sensitive sacs, opening his mouth to suck one gently into his mouth. The fact that Yibo doesn’t flinch nearly makes him want to smile but he can’t otherwise he really might accidentally hurt the younger man. His tongue teases and laves, before releasing the precious mouthful and moving on to the other.

He provides the same service to the other sac before moving on to focus on the root where it joins up. Sometimes he feels like taking his time and this afternoon seems to be one of those days. 

Xiao Zhan flicks his gaze up at Yibo and the heat he is met with makes him moan open mouthed against the turgid length. Yibo is letting him do what he wants. He tries to suck a hickie into the side of the hardened flesh and a hiss is his only warning before a hand slides into his hair. Yibo doesn’t tug nor grip, his hand I just there to keep Xiao Zhan in the right place and doing the right thing if he needs to. Licking back up the slightly reddened skin in apology, Xiao Zhan returns to lapping up and down the intimidating length. While he isn’t small and definitely a grower, he had laughingly admitted to Yibo not long ago that he hasn’t quite decided if the younger man was a grow-er or a show-er because he seems to be both. 

Lost in his enjoyment of inhaling the familiar musky scent of the younger man infiltrated quite heavily by the sandalwood that twists it into something deeply heady, he is licking and sucking quite leisurely as if they have an entire afternoon rather than a good deal less than the allocated two hours. His eyes are closed as he moves off from fondling Yibo’s balls in his mouth to the juncture of his thigh and sucking in a deep red mark there when the hand in his hair tightens.

“Do you need directions or something?” Yibo is finally unable to take it, asking in a reasonably controlled tone despite his urge to shove his cock down the other man’s throat. The head of his cock is _soaked_ and growing consistently wetter over the last ten minutes as Xiao Zhan seems intent to lick every single last inch of him _except the engorged tip_.

Chin wet and eyes hazy, Xiao Zhan looks up at him slowly, as if he is moving through honey. “What’s the hurry?”

Yibo moves his hand to cup Xiao Zhan’s cheek, slipping his thumb between reddened swollen lips abused by the short sharp hairs of his crotch and the longer but no less rough hairs of his upper thighs. He twitches when Xiao Zhan bites down _hard_ on the fleshy pad of his thumb, smiling dreamily up at him. 

“Enjoying yourself?” 

Xiao Zhan nods, smiling around the thumb in his cheek and leans forward to nuzzle against his thigh before dragging his lips back up his shaft, unable to do much more with the thumb still in his mouth. He can do even less when he’s shoved lightly away, that thumb pulled from his mouth with a rather obscene pop.

“Huh?” Xiao Zhan blinks up against the other man in confusion.

“I want to watch you prepare yourself.”

His slick red mouth makes a perfect little moue, his eyes equally round as he stares up at the long lines of the gorgeous man resting easily against the door to their room. He belatedly realises that he hasn’t even taken off his own shoes and he hurries to fix that, swallowing hard when Yibo squeezes the head of his cock deliberately, eyes burning a hole in Xiao Zhan as he rubs his palm on the sopping head and smears it down his thick shaft. 

Xiao Zhan’s mouth pools with saliva, following the movement until he gets nudged with a socked foot.

“Wh-what?” He shakes his head trying to clear the fog in his mind. He can _smell_ Yibo and he’s too far. Much too far. He sways forward, mouth parting, wanting to taste the shiny swollen head.

“What are you waiting for?” Yibo toes Xiao Zhan in the knee. “There’s lube in the bathroom.” A smile tugs the corner of his mouth. “The faster you move, the faster you’ll get fucked.” He starts pumping his cock at a pace somewhere between hard and fast a slow and leisurely. “I’m perfectly fine coming like this so its really up to you,” he cocks an eyebrow to match the tilt of his lips. “Decide how you want this to go down baobao because the _only_ way you’re coming today is on my cock.”

The older man whimpers, swallowing hard before his mouth parts and he scrambles to his feet. He doesn’t even look up at Yibo, eyes staring at his thick, long cock curving up against his belly, fisted by an equally large hand.

He nearly trips on the bathroom rug in his haste and that warm chuckle follows after him.

They have lube everywhere, even in their bags. God knows how they will explain it to anyone who finds it but Xiao Zhan has to keep up with a frankly, insatiable twenty-year old who seems determined to make it his mission to ensure they end every single day on the same number of orgasms. Since Yibo still has a bit of a hair trigger, Xiao Zhan is wrecked regularly on a daily basis when they are together and Xiao Zhan is unused to being wrung dry to really keep up. Age means nothing to Yibo and in all honesty, Xiao Zhan is not about to complain since the man doesn’t mind him being a pillow prince(ss) if he really has nothing left.

Who complains about multiple orgasms a day? Dumb fucks that’s who. Xiao Zhan is definitely not dumb. He does want to get fucked though.

A loud groan from the hallway has him careening back out of the bathroom with lube in hand while unbuttoning his jeans with another.

He moans at the sight he finds, Yibo’s head tilted back against the door, the long line of his neck and that triangle jutting out in stark relief. When even the sound he makes doesn’t bring Yibo’s attention back to him, Xiao Zhan knows he has to hurry. 

He has barely kicked off his jeans and underwear when Yibo hisses and drops his chin. His eyes are dark, pupils blown to hell and he growls two words urgently.

“Come here.”

Xiao Zhan rushes over only to be manhandled roughly, bent over with an arm twisted behind his back to hold him in place, teeshirt pulled back with the grip around his wrist that the collar nearly strangles him.

_No._

His eyes widen and a frisson of fear and anticipation crawls up his back. He is not prepped. At all. If Yibo shoves his dick in, he’s going to tear for sure.

He feels the blunt head against his twitching hole and he tries to pull away, both concerned and yet, not. He is yanked back against that heat, the feel of it nearly unbearable and it sets his skin on fire.

A loud groan and then he feels it - hot strips of come pulsing and painting his asshole, dripping between his crack and down his balls and his knees nearly give over in both relief and need. Yibo has a firm one-handed hold of him though, gripping both the back of his teeshirt and his wrist to keep him upright as he smears the bulbous head of his spent cock against his entrance.

The door rattles loudly as Yibo drops his frame back heavily against it, pulling Xiao Zhan with him.

Xiao Zhan moans lewdly when Yibo uses his come to push a fingertip in. He tries to back into it, his body more than relaxed enough for just that, but the wretch pulls his finger out with a husky chuckle.

“Oh no, baobao. You’re working for this. I want to watch you prep yourself.”

Unable to stop the whine strangling his throat, Xiao Zhan reaches a shaking hand between his thighs, cupping his tainted balls and slipping a finger up his crack. He doesn’t breach himself, collecting as much of the gloopy stickiness he can feel, cleaning himself up with his hand before bringing that hand to his mouth and licking it.

“So filthy, baobao.” 

The ring of amusement is loud and Xiao Zhan hears it but he doesn’t care.

“Mn.”

Yibo’s cock barely flags, perking up again considerably at the loud sucking sounds as the older man cleans his hand with amazing attention to detail, lavishing each soiled finger with the attention it deserves.

“I’m going to let you go so you can go on your knees.”

Xiao Zhan turns to look over his shoulder, looking completely dazed with lust and he pouts. “No. I…I can fuck myself standing.”

Yibo’s eyes peruse the sight before him, making it very obvious what he is looking at before he returns his gaze to Xiao Zhan who has turned a deeper shade of red.

“Show me.”

Xiao Zhan drops his head. His thighs are shaking a little but Yibo’s hold remains firm and he lets the man take some of his weight as he reaches to the floor to grab the forgotten bottle of lube. Squirting some into his now clean hand, he spreads his legs, moving one step to the left so he can brace his shoulder or cheek against the wall if he needs it.

Reaching once again between his thighs, he whimpers as his slick fingers find his sticky hole. He pushes a couple of fingers in immediately, hearing the deep intake of breath behind him that matches his own and he moans as he breaches himself roughly. The blood is rushing to his head and his vision is getting a little viscous. He watches, almost indifferently at his bobbing cock leaking so badly there is a long thin transparent line of precum that links him to the floor as he roughly fucks himself with two fingers.

“I…fuck…” His fingers work furiously. “N-not deep enough…f-fuck.” 

He groans as he pushes his fingers in to the knuckle in one desperate move to feel more and he nearly topples over as his fingers catch roughly on his prostate. The angle hurts his shoulder though but he pushes through for a bit more before he pulls his fingers free completely.

He pumps some more lube one-handed and this time he fingers the slightly stretched slick rim, smearing the lube around before positioning three fingertips at his clenching entrance.

“Baobao…”

It is that strangled, nearly breathless voice that is the drive behind three fingers sinking slowly into his ass, pulling a deep moan that vibrates so thoroughly up his entire body that he is certain it originated from his groin. He slowly fucks himself on three fingers, barely going deep enough to skate his prostate again but he is focusing on spreading himself. 

The lube does its job and soon he is buried knuckle deep. He is panting hard, gasping through the pleasure and the light headedness of the collar of his teeshirt still choking him a little. There is the very slight twinge of pain at the stretch, but he exhales through it shakily, his face now dripping with sweat at his exertions. 

Groaning again as he dives in all the way to his knuckles with a loud obscene squelch, ignoring his burning shoulder. He scissors, trying to swirl his fingers in his own hot, tight, passage, before pulling out with a loud moan.

Yibo actually has drool sliding out the corner of his mouth which he rubs hastily at the sound as he straightens. Watching Xiao Zhan prep himself is a thing of beauty. Hearing him is even better.

He lines up his cock, the blunt head pressing against the loosened opening and Xiao Zhan whimpers and whines so loudly at the contact that his head jerks up and he hums.

“I’m not going in.”

Xiao Zhan looks over his shoulder, his eyes are practically tearing with his need and he barely gets the words out. “Wh-what?”

“Beg me.” Yibo drags his weeping cock all the way down Xiao Zhan’s crack. “Beg me, otherwise I won’t go in.”

“P-please.”

“Please what?”

“Fuck me.”

He drags the shaft of his cock again against that twitching hole, smearing precum and lube across his length with his hands. “You can do better than that.” 

“Didi…please…please fuck me.”

“You can do better than that.” 

“P-please f-fuck me ha-hard. I wa-want to come on your co-cock.”

“Clearly. Say it clearly.”

Xiao Zhan is going cross-eyed and he sucks in a huge shuddering breath, spending every last braincell to reply.

“Didi…please fuck your gege as hard as you want. Gege wants to come untouched on my didi’s cock.”

Yibo bites his lip very hard to stop the answering groan to the wrecked words of the older man. 

He lines up his cock before letting go of the man’s wrist and sweat-damped teeshirt, grabbing him firmly by the hips with both hands and he tugs Xiao Zhan back onto his cock in one long smooth stroke.

The shout from Xiao Zhan echoes in the hallway but they are both too far gone now to heed how loud they are being as Yibo starts relentlessly pistoning _hard_ into that open pliant body. 

Their groans and moans and the thoroughly indecent slap of skin is loud but does not last long, Xiao Zhan coming first, completely untouched, with a near scream, spraying across the entry way as his teeth grips the collar of his teeshirt hard, tears blinding him as his entire body goes up in flames.

Yibo follows close after, unable to resist the sucking, clenching intensity of Xiao Zhan’s orgasm.

—

If a director and both Biyu and Da-Xia are unable to look the two leads in the eye for the rest of the week, nobody knows why, least of all the two of them.

**~~~**

**_Sometime later in July 2018_ **

**Yibo 21:22 All daemons posted in this chat stay in this chat okay. Just a friendly reminder…**

**Haikuan 21:22 Of course.**

**Xuan Lu 21:22 Of course. You can count on us.**

**Yibo 21:23 Ours…**

**Xuan Lu 21:24 That’s so sweet!!!!!!!!!!**

**Meng Ziyi 21:24 Lmao Shijie took the words (and the meme) right out from under me**

**Xuan Lu 21:24 Ooops lol sorry the memes are all so cute I’ve just been saving them all.**

**Meng Ziyi 21:25 Not cuter than our Xianxian though.**

**Zanjin 21:25 Lol he’s definitely his whether Xianxian or Zhanzhan.**

**Yu Bin 21:26 @Zanjin You weren’t anywhere near that scene! What’s with all the paparazzi shots?**

**Zanjin 21:26 @Yu Bin I’m a student of knowledge!**

**Ji Li 21:27 I have a better one hahaha!**

**Fanxing 21:27 OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Poor Chidi omg… Father omg…**

**Xiao Zhan 21:28 Mine.**

**Xiao Zhan 21:28 @Fanxing LMAO Chidi had it coming and besides, he can change into a phoenix midair even if he had been thrown so no blood no foul.**

**Yu Bin 21:29 God you two are so sappy please let us single people suffer in piece and stop with the dog food…**

**Guo Cheng 21:29 You wouldn’t be single if you weren’t so…**

**Yu Bin 21:30 You wanna fight?**

**Xuan Lu 21:30 HE IS BEAUTIFUL**

**Xiao Zhan 21:31 @Xuan Lu Shijie wins with the perfect meme!**

**Yibo 21:32 @Xiao Zhan I thought I was the perfect meme…**

**Xiao Zhan 21:32 @Yibo OMFG WHERE IS THAT FROM HOW ARE YOU SO GODDAMN CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUUUUU COME TO GEGE!!!!!**

**Xiao Zhan 21:32 @Yibo No seriously how are you this cute I feel attacked.**

**Yibo 21:33 @Xiao Zhan You’re the one who went for a run.**

**Xiao Zhan 21:33 @Yibo I have my regrets…**

Yu Bin 21:34 Damn…

Fanxing 21:34 I feel like some body swap just occurred…

Haikuan 21:35 A bit of exercise can do that.

Xiao Zhan 21:36 Are you guys just low key saying I don’t normally look like this?

Zanjin 21:36 More like high key lmao!

Yibo 21:37 @Xiao Zhan Gege…

**Xiao Zhan 21:37 @Yibo Damn…**

**Yu Bin 21:38 Did he just…**

**Guo Cheng 21:38 Yes**

**Peixin 21:38 You had to ask?**

**Zanjin 21:39 Never thought saying BROTHER could sound so…**

**Ji Li 21:39 JUST GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM AND STOP MOONING AT YOUR PHONE IN FRONT OF MY NOODLES! SINGLE PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO EAT DOG FOOD.**

**Ji Li 21:40 Omg he really left**

**Guo Cheng 21:40 Oh boy…**

**Zhuocheng 21:41 I guess its hos before bros…we were supposed to grab a drink with the Nies.**

**Yizhou 21:41 @Zhuocheng I have no issue with it. Don’t drag us into it!**

**Ji Li 21:42 He said US…**

**Yibo 21:42 @Zhuocheng Hmmm…**

**Yizhou 21:43 A-Sang**

**Haikuan 21:43 Wangji…**

**Xuan Lu 21:43 A-Cheng…**

**Yu Bin 21:44 …**

**Meng Ziyi 21:44 Why are you looking for trouble when there’s none to be had?**

**Yu Bin 21:45 Sorry jiejie**

**~~~**

**_28 July 2018_ **

“I don’t wanna be a bunny.”

“What’s wrong with bunnies?” 

Bailong wrinkles his nose and huffs. “Nothing, but I don’t want to be one.”

“It’s only for the shoot. You don’t have to be one if you don’t want but you can’t be in the shoot if you stay a cub.”

“But I’m a cute cub.” 

Baidi’s pout can be heard for miles and Yibo’s stylist shares a smile with Biyu. They definitely concur. Baidi has been the sweetest little cub for a good month now. While his adult form had appeared intermittently since the shoot started, he has kept his smaller form on set for more days in a row than anyone who’s worked with Yibo has seen by a long shot. In fact, he is pretty sure he hasn’t been a full-sized lion on the set since June. It’s different when Yibo is away filming other shows of course, the silent predator keeping his watchful golden eyes on everyone. However, even that has taken a turn for something different in the last month. Chidi accompanies Yibo sometimes instead of Baidi and he has heard from Xiao Zhan’s and other staff that the cub is definitely most assuredly a full sized lion when guarding the older man.

“Very cute,” Yibo laughs. “The shoot wants rabbit because of the drama though. There are no lions so if you want to be in it with your gege you have to be a bunny.”

“Why do I have to be black? Can’t I be white like gege?”

Yibo shakes his head before crouching down next to the two daemons, stroking his hand gently over the pouting cub. “If you can convince your gege to be black, then you can be white, but it’s the drama aesthetic, black and white.”

“Xiao Zhan is black and you’re white?”

“Yes.”

“So I should be white since you’re white right?”

A warm chuckle sounds in the room and Xiao Zhan’s chest constricts at the sound, arrested in the doorway of the room he was about to enter. He is never going to get used to this. Yibo gets more and more stunning each day and he wonders if there comes a point where he finally takes his breath away completely and never returns it. Sometimes it feels like he’s already at that point. 

“If you can convince your gege, then go for it.”

“Why don’t you try and convince _your gege_ ,” the cub counters immediately.

“Convince him to do what?”

“Switch.”

Yibo splutters and starts coughing. 

Xiao Zhan arches an eyebrow as Zhulong snickers. “What is he talking about?”

“I can guarantee it’s one hundred percent _NOT_ what Yibo is thinking considering how red his ears and neck are getting.”

He gets a thoughtful hum in response.

“Gege!” Bailong squeals, catching sight of the other daemon, he wriggles in Yibo’s arms before leaping down from Yibo’s standing height and heading straight for Zhulong who had also just been let down by Xiao Zhan, still standing barely inside the doorway.

The Bazaar staff watch the two daemons curiously. They have been told of course and some of them with more access to their daemons had also been warned. Nobody has any intention to share any of the more intimate parts of the shoot but both Yibo and Xiao Zhan had agreed to allow their daemons to be part of the set and for most of them, this is the first time they are seeing corporeal daemons.

Normal corporeal daemons keep silent and keep to themselves, shadowing their humans closely and rarely interacting with anyone, not even their own humans in front of others. Baidi and Chidi however have been basically chatting non-stop to their humans and are usually either sitting in their laps or carried in their arms like pampered pets. Someone had made the mistake of calling Chidi a pet though and had received a blistering telling off, not from the rabbit daemon but from the small cub who had bristled with an unholy indignance that only a feline can bring to bear. Xiao Zhan had been changing when it happened and Yibo had been expressionless during the whole exchange, glaring the girl out of sight and apparently off the set for she hasn’t been seen since.

Daemons are not pets. Calling Chidi a pet is basically almost as bad as calling Xiao Zhan a pet.

As usual, Zhulong suffers the ministrations of the young cub licking his fur every which way enthusiastically as if they haven’t seen each other in days when it has been less than an hour. Once done with his ‘greeting’, they settle together, walking side by side slowly towards a very still Yibo being fussed over by multiple stylists in his flowing white outfit, chatting amiably to each other about the shoot.

They reach Yibo well before Xiao Zhan who is watching silently from the door. Yibo is in profile to him, angled slightly away and apparently today is the day the man literally takes his breath away. He can hear the blood pounding in his ears and he is thankful for the colour of his robes and how voluminous they are because his cock has certainly reacted to the ethereal beauty of the younger man. The outfit is so simple but simple looks good on Wang Yibo because it highlights the rest of his features and doesn’t attempt to detract from them, enhancing instead.

Xiao Zhan swallows thickly, looking at the sharp lines the man makes before it all blurs from waist down because of his robes.

Most of the people in the room are captured by the daemons, unable to take their eyes off them, unaware that for Bailong, it is part of the natural phenomena of his latent instinctual powers. He is there to protect and that includes protecting from prying eyes, the looks between their humans that honestly should be reserved for the bedroom. The cub doesn’t know this of course, but eyes are drawn to them nonetheless, leaving their humans free from scrutiny.

Well, most of the scrutiny. Biyu and Da-Xia are exempt, so used to the interactions that they are no longer considered outsiders. They both stare back and forth between Xiao Zhan and the seemingly oblivious Yibo.

“Starting to wonder if Baidi has been spending too much time with Xiao Laoshi.”

“He does look a little…hungry.”

Biyu coughs and averts her eyes. “That’s an understatement. No one else is watching right?”

“No, they’re too busy watching their daemons.”

“Thank god. I’m not sure how to explain that look to anyone.”

Da-Xia shudders. “I think that’s my job.” She averts her eyes. “He looks like he wants to devour him on the spot,” she hisses to the younger girl. “I thought he had more control than this.”

Biyu doesn’t respond, already traumatised enough to not want to wander down that path of no return. 

Bailong nuzzles the white rabbit as they come to a standstill by Yibo’s feet. “Can I be the white bunny?” He asks, making cow eyes at the defenceless daemon who sighs and turns his face up to the placid-looking Yibo.

“Any help with this?”

Yibo offers a siren’s smile, unaware of what he is doing to his lover standing several feet away. “Sorry. You’re on your own there. I did tell him he couldn’t be part of the shoot if he isn’t a bunny though.”

“Thanks,” Zhulong replies a tad grouchily. 

“Can I, gege? Can I be the white bunny? Yibo is white and Xiao Zhan is black. It makes sense, yes?”

Honey and molasses combined have nothing on how sticky Bailong is.

Zhulong groans and crouches over, covering his face with both paws. “Somebody help.”

Yibo’s mouth twitches. For some reason, Zhulong still can’t outright say no to Bailong. He might beat about the bush or try and distract the other daemon but in a situation such as this where he does not want to give in, he still cannot say the words, looking for assistance instead. 

“Bailong.” 

The cub turns his face up to the human who has just joined them.

“Mn.”

“Be good.”

Yibo shudders minutely at the way the words seem to roll off Xiao Zhan’s tongue. His daemon considers the other man for a long moment before he smiles sunnily, rivalling the black clad man’s own smile.

“If I’m the black bunny then I’m yours.” 

It isn’t a question.

Xiao Zhan stares down at the irreverent cub, not looking at anyone, eyes solely on the gold-eyed daemon. The conversation is not private and there are more people who have just walked into the room and heard the cub’s cheerful declaration. Everyone is staring at them in varying stages of surprise. Da-Xia who still remembers Xiao Zhan’s answer when replying to the the director of his other drama when asked about Bailong when he had appeared, frantic about Yibo, is the only one who isn’t really surprised.

What surprises her though, is Yibo’s expression.

No one is looking at him except her, too fascinated by the precocious daemon. His expression is as open as she has ever seen it, undisguised in his love for the other man.

“Yes, you are mine,” he replies very clearly, leaving no question at all about what he means.

Zhulong’s head pops up, eyes wide even as Bailong giggles and transforms immediately into a small black bunny.

The two daemons nuzzle together, before lopping off towards the other door that leads to the set that had been set up. The Bazaar staff in particular are extremely shocked and their expressions show this, but the personal staff of the two actors think nothing of it, Biyu and Da-Xia in particular sliding in to provide some manner of damage control as they make their way around the room. 

“Don’t run off too far,” Yibo calls out after them, finally finding his voice. 

“We won’t.” Zhulong replies as he scampers after Bailong who had tagged him just before he turned away, giggling loudly as he runs off, fully expecting to be chased.

Yibo still doesn’t look at Xiao Zhan, returning his attention to the large group of people that have suddenly walked in. His cheeks feel warm enough he doesn’t need to make it worse. 

“Venus.” Xiao Zhan murmurs, staring down at the hem of the long skirt the younger man is wearing.

He ignores the other man since he is being fussed over when he feels his skirt being lifted. Unable to ignore him any longer when Xiao Zhan keeps trying to hike his skirt up, he turns, brow furrowed slightly to hide the fact that his pulse is racing in his ears.

“What are you doing? What are you doing to my skirt?”

Xiao Zhan feigns surprise at being confronted, freeing his hand from the pocket of his pants where he had been trying to keep his cock in check. He reaches out towards Yibo’s flowing sleeves and grabs his wrist loosely, forgetting for a moment they are surrounded by people who are mostly strangers.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” His mouth curls ever so slightly into a smile. “Just checking your gender.”

Under normal circumstances, Yibo would have growled and given the man a resounding smack for the audacity. However he is still reeling a little from Xiao Zhan’s easy confirmation that Bailong is his and so his swat back is half-hearted and the effect of his usual glare ruined by his rosy cheeks.

“We need more foundation,” Yibo’s stylist calls out behind him. “And maybe some concealer.”

“Maybe we just need Xiao Laoshi at the other end of the room,” Biyu grumbles as she walks past Da-Xia with the makeup.

Her friend is watching her own responsibility, not recognising the strange almost predatory look in Xiao Zhan’s eyes as he once again takes a step back to stare languidly at the younger man from the top of his head, all the way down to his hidden feet and then back up again.

The slow elevator appraisal is deliberate and for some reason, disconcerting to the younger man. His spine is crawling with an unbearable itch that needs to be scratched.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking at you.”

“Stop looking.”

“Why? Wang Laoshi is beautiful. Like a goddess.”

“Venus?” Yibo remarks drily, trying to mask the hitch in his breath.

“You call me Zhan Shen so you cannot be anything but Venus.” 

Xiao Zhan’s voice is like velvet, wrapping around the younger man and making him feel both warm and yet distinctly _hunted_.

Several people left still trailing around them struggle to school their reactions and their faces. Zhan Shen - God of War, Mars, is the lover of Venus. _What is this man saying?_

“I’m a guy.”

“Doesn’t make you any less beautiful.”

Yibo finally looks up, eyes searching the other man’s. They have been left alone momentarily, a lot of the staff moving over to the other room where their daemons are creating all manner of havoc. They are not causing any specific trouble, but they definitely have the practically undivided attention of the Bazaar staff who have mostly never encountered corporeal daemons.

He watches as Xiao Zhan takes a step closer, and then a final step, tilting his hips and then pressing against him.

His quiet but outraged gasp at the hard cock pressed into his thigh is heard by no one save Xiao Zhan.

“Zhan-ge!”

“What?” 

Xiao Zhan’s voice is low and warm and Yibo’s ears flare a deeper red. 

“Why are you being like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like…like…I don’t know I’m feeling a little hunted.”

The older man chuckles and slips an arm around Yibo’s waist. “I feel like that most of the time with you. I like the feeling. Being hunted.” His eyes darken as Yibo turns to gaze up at him. They will be filming in bare feet and their height disparity is obvious and it sends even more blood travelling south for Xiao Zhan. “ _Wanted_.”

Yibo swallows hard, his daemon’s bright voice suddenly echoes over and over in his mind.

_“Switch.”_

“Later.” The younger man finally manages to respond, relieved his voice isn’t as shaky as how he feels inside. He is practically vibrating with an intense crawling need he doesn’t quite understand. It feels familiar, yet not. Whatever it is he knows it will start and end with Xiao Zhan. The older man hums, a familiar gleaming smile transforming his face and Yibo takes a step closer rather than back, pressing against the other man. “Later when we’re back.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes drop to the deep V in Yibo’s white top, eyes heated. “I don’t know if I can wait.”

“Try.” Yibo huffs and attempts to just be contrary. “I’m wearing white, Zhan-ge. I can’t believe you.”

“For your sake I hope you’re wearing briefs then.” Xiao Zhan laughs as a quiet snarl is heard behind him as he walks away towards the set where they are meant to shoot, knowing full well Yibo would never wear briefs unless held to gunpoint.

—

“I didn’t realise that would happen.”

“What?”

Zhulong drops back onto all four paws and snuggles against the content black bunny crouched in front of the table. “You can’t feel it?”

Bailong giggles. “Yibo is confused but in a good way.”

“You did it.”

“Not on purpose,” Bailong sits back on his haunches and puts a paw up looking the very picture of innocence. “It wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t feeling it already anyway.”

“You felt it before you said it though.”

Bailong pouts and crosses his front paws over his chest. “A little but I really didn’t know it would do this.”

The white bunny huffs a quiet laugh and shakes his head. “Well, Xiao Zhan does like pretty things and you don’t get prettier than Yibo.”

“And me,” the little black bunny preens. “Aren’t I pretty, gege?”

“Bailong.”

“Gege.”

“Stop fishing for compliments.”

“Say it then.”

Zhulong groans and covers his face. “Why are you like this?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“You know the answer.” Bailong pouts again. “Gege…” the tone is toeing that grey line between whiny and sticky.

“Because you’re a brat.”

“Gege!” The black bunny’s sharp indignance rings around the large set and most of the people fiddling around close by are taken aback that such a loud sound can come from something so small.

Xiao Zhan and Yibo are just about to get on the platform and Yibo’s mouth is already open to tell his daemon off when Xiao Zhan squeezes his wrist.

Arrested in both speech and movement, Yibo turns back towards the two rabbit daemons just in time to see Zhulong pounce on Bailong, the older daemon at least uses his private voice so no one but their humans and Bailong can hear him. “Because I love you. Now shut up and behave otherwise I’ll take you to timeout myself and they can use real rabbits.”

Bailong’s giggles are so effervescent that Yibo himself is a little non-plussed. 

“That is the daemon that scared off people when you were younger?”

“You shut up and behave too.” Yibo huffs and stomps up onto the platform leaving behind a very amused older lover.

“Ah Wang Laoshi…how can anyone behave when you look like that?” Xiao Zhan murmurs under his breath. “Especially when you’re mine.”

Da-Xia who was about to hand him his drink steps away in consternation and backs right into Biyu.

“I think…we should check their flight.” Biyu whispers to the other girl, hoping no one else heard what Xiao Zhan had just said. 

“Why?”

“We booked it separately remember and were supposed to check and get them seated together but we never got round to it.”

“Ah.”

“Your Xiao Laoshi will be extremely pissed if he’s not sitting with Wang Laoshi.”

Da-Xia stares at the bottle of warm green tea in her hand and then the couple in black and white. Yibo is standing so rigidly his entire being looks carved from marble while Xiao Zhan is lounging indolently on the edge of the platform looking every single inch like some rich playboy. 

She exhales in a quiet huff and turns to the younger assistant. “We can’t both go. Give me Yibo’s details and I’ll sort it out. You keep an eye on them. Make sudden noises if you have to. The tension is so thick I feel like rubbing my arms and getting the hell out of here or clearing the room and letting them have at it.”

“So I’m the one stuck in this…this…atmosphere?” Biyu protests immediately turning to gesture at the two male leads on the platform. Xiao Zhan keeps throwing glances over his shoulder at Yibo who stares back without any expression whatsoever which to her, means he is trying to control himself and she stifles a groan. “Jie, look at them. Someone is going to snap.”

“I’m pulling the seniority card.”

“Older doesn’t mean wiser,” Biyu throws back something she’d heard Yibo say to Xiao Zhan the other day.

“No, but it does mean you can cause a scene and be excused for it because you’re younger.” Da-Xia pulls herself out of Biyu’s reach. “Now, eyes on them and make sure they stay out of trouble.”

Biyu huffs, turning just in time to catch the furrow in Yibo’s forehead. Dropping her gaze to Xiao Zhan, she sucks in a breath at the _look_ he is giving the younger man. “Holy hell…” She immediately looks inward to her daemon, asking, no begging for it to ask Baidi or Chidi to intervene somehow. The Bazaar set is going to go up in flames if Xiao Zhan doesn’t get his eyes under control.

The pretty little wren is amused and quite certain there won’t be any help from either daemon but she will do her best.

—

“Stop it.” 

“I am literally not doing a damn thing.” Xiao Zhan opens his arms up. “I’m holding a flute, _as asked_. Twirling it, _as asked_. Looking at you, _as asked_.”

“Looking?” Yibo practically hisses, eyes narrowed, his hands still over the guqin on his lap. “Looking? You’re not just _looking_ at me.”

“I am most certainly looking at you.” Xiao Zhan counters, _while looking_.

Their daemons had reached a compromise with the two beleaguered PAs and had agreed to keep all conversations between the four of them private. However, because of the shoot, they will not be blocking anyone’s view of anything and what everyone can see right now is Yibo staring intently and quite frostily at Xiao Zhan who in turn is merely smirking back.

“You’re not looking.” Yibo’s voice is quiet with a sharp edge to it. “You are abso-fucking-lutely. _Thoroughly_. Fucking me.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyebrow goes up and the two daemons look at each other and try to scamper away, knowing they cannot run off to timeout. 

“Such language, puppy.”

“Is it the dress?” Yibo demands sharply. “The skirt from the other day?”

The older man shakes his head, his expression morphing slightly. To anyone watching, he is still smiling, but his eyes are serious. 

“It is you. It’s always you. It’s always been you. You are beautiful and handsome rolled up in one gorgeous package. I can’t compliment you enough because you _always_ have something to throw back at me. But you are off balance now for some reason and can’t seem to come back with a rejoinder so don’t blame me for pressing the only advantage I’ve had in months.”

Yibo bites his lip considering the other man’s words. “What do you want?”

“You.”

Yibo tilts his head slightly, expression still frosty. “ _How_ do you want me?” He asks carefully with deliberate emphasis.

Xiao Zhan smiles. “However you want.”

“Mark your words.”

The older man’s gaze does not waver. “Always, baobei… When it comes to you, I mean every single word.”

—

“Is it just me or do you feel like an intruder?” The PD rubs his arms and leans over to the main photographer. “Did you give them instructions?”

The man shakes his head, mimicking the PD and rubbing his arms as well. “I haven’t told them anything except to sort of channel modern day Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.”

“I guess it’s our fault then.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it a BL drama? The BL is pretty much all that I can see right now. Their clothes and hair and props aside, you take them and put them anywhere and it’s BL. It doesn’t matter what they’re wearing or what the backdrop is. They are portraying lovers and lovers is all I see.”

“It’s too intimate.”

“We want intimate.”

“We wanted _maybe they are lovers_ not _we are definitely lovers_ …” the set director gestures to the two men on the platform. “This is more like lovers lounging in their backyard after a full day of fucking. Are we sure they’re not together?”

“Honestly? Based on the way their daemons are acting? I think they’re married.”

“Can’t believe I’m going to have to ask them to tone it down. Most actors can’t even work up enough proper sexual tension to save their careers.”

—

“It’s gotten worse.”

“I wish I could hear what they were saying.”

“My photographers are having a field day though.”

"I bet. Do you think their agencies will veto some of the photos?"

"Well, only the non-daemon ones. As long as one of their daemons are in there, no one has any veto power except them."

"Huh...okay I didn't know that. Maybe I should make sure their daemons are in every single one then." The man mutters a farewell and hurries off to check on the photograph crew. 

The set director returns his attention to the two men. Yibo's daemon is sitting on the table they had say up and currently being rubbed while the two men argue. Well, they appear to be arguing anyway. Their body language screams _lovers_ so loudly even though this is technically behind the scenes and they don't need to act. They are seated so close that Xiao Zhan's foot is under Yibo's thigh and neither appear inclined to move. In fact, he's not even sure if they've noticed.

A lot of the crew have though and while everyone remains professional and go about their jobs, a majority of them are unable to stop sneaking glances at them.

\---

"What do you want?"

"I bet your skin is softer than Bailong's fur.”

"Hey!" The little black bunny protests immediately. "I'm not normally a bunny okay so don't go criticising my first attempt."

"See? You criticise him, you criticise me. Hope you're happy." Yibo knocks Xiao Zhan's hand off Bailong and covers his bunny protectively. "He's very soft."

"I bet you're softer."

"Fuck off."

"I'm serious."

"And my answer is still fuck off." There is absolutely no heat in his words though and both of them know it. Any irritation or frostiness is layered on by Yibo to mask the fact that he's really feeling rather topsy turvy. Xiao Zhan looks stunning in his black robes and flowy black pants but for some reason the man absolutely gives no fucks at all about how sinful he looks, more intent than ever to praise Yibo to the heavens and beyond it feels.

_"So beautiful."_

_"You're not human...you're an angel."_

_"How does it feel to simply breathe and be more gorgeous than everyone on this planet?"_

_"Your hair is so pretty...I want to touch it."_

_"Remember how you got mad about my chest showing? I'm not mad...I'm a lot of things but I'm not mad right now. Do you want to know why? You're mine that's why."_

_"I take it back. Venus has nothing on you.”_

_"You know...we're allowed to take back a couple of outfits. Please grant this humble man's request and take this outfit home."_

_"If I had a thing for you in dresses, don't you think the Lan Zhan outfits would have done it already? Especially that ridiculous lacy number from the caves. It's you. Like this. All...what's the word...shy and feisty as if you don't know what to do with the fact that I think you are more beautiful than anything I've ever seen in my life. How are you real?"_

_"How did I get so lucky?"_

That last one had earned the older man a sharp slap earlier with Yibo hissing at him about how it wasn't fucking luck.

Xiao Zhan had mollified the younger when he changed it.

_"Fate then, baobei. You are my Fate."_

"Please allow this impudent man to feel your fair skin."

It is pretty telling that neither Zhulong nor Bailong even snicker at the increasingly flowery words coming from the older human. In fact, neither daemon want to be there. They can feel their humans and it is much too similar to the feelings they are bombarded with close to the time where it is much, much safer for them in timeout. Bailong is resignedly seated on the table and Zhulong hopping around somewhere around and under the table, hoping the meagre exercise will help. 

It doesn't help, but they are on a set with over twenty people milling about. Feelings aside, they're not about to ask for a barrier to be put up so they can mess with each other even more intently involving far lesser clothes so the two daemons console themselves with that fact.

Yibo huffs. "Will you stop if I say yes?" 

"Stop what?" Xiao Zhan blinks innocently back. He joins his hands in a prayer-like gesture. "I am being properly worshipful." His voice drops even though it isn't necessary. "I can be even more worshipful later."

"Fine." 

Xiao Zhan doesn't hesitate at all, grinning and running his hand up under Yibo's long flowing sleeve, his grin turning admiring. "I was right."

"You are a menace."

The older man chuckles. "Come now, beautiful. Is that any way to call your number one worshipper?" His expression changes minutely. "Actually, make that your _only worshipper_ ," he adds. "You are mine."

Yibo ducks his head, unable to take it anymore. "Mn."

A hand slips into his lap and he raises his knees slightly to hide it instead of protesting its presence. Xiao Zhan's hand does nothing more than squeeze his upper thigh lightly before caressing it, talking about something or other but its all a whole lot of white noise in Yibo's ears. Blood is pounding through his veins and he suddenly has to concentrate very hard on, well, not getting hard.

Bailong sighs loudly, attracting Xiao Zhan's attention.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You want your gege?"

Zhulong almost chokes then. Since when did Xiao Zhan call Bailong _sweetie_ and while no one can hear him but them, it's going to be firmly embedded into _his_ psyche as his daemon and well, he gives in to Bailong more than anything already. He definitely doesn't begrudge the other daemon even the slightest. In fact, it's the total opposite. It just shakes him a little at the intensity of the feelings between the two humans. He knew what it was like from Yibo but for Xiao Zhan to have basically come up to his level and in such a short time is doing his head in. He'll get past it eventually and be able to deal with the bombardment of varying degrees and sheer tumultuousness of the feelings from his human, but in the meantime, he does feel like half his fur is going to fall off at some point the way electricity seems to crackle just underneath it more of than not.

Bailong nods, a little pouty. "Want gege."

Xiao Zhan leans down to the table to nuzzle the little black bunny with a heart-melting smile, much to the shock of a lot of the people watching.

\---

"Definitely married. Definitely. I mean...the touching was bad enough but that...that's...I know a couple with corporeal daemons and they are not this tactile with the daemons of their partner and they've been together a fair few years. Not married yet but the intention is there and Xiao Laoshi...he..." the photographer trails off, eyes widening when Yibo does one better. He watches utterly slack jawed as the ethereal young actor picks up the white rabbit daemon gently and nuzzles it as well before settling it down next to its counterpart. The two daemons visibly sink against each other, head tilted up towards their humans, conversing with them.

"I wish we could hear them."

His fellow photographer and close friend shakes her head. "My daemon says no, you don't want to hear them."

"Your daemon can communicate with you?"

She nods. "Level 7 daemon. He says Baidi, that's Yibo's daemon, the black bunny, sent out a strong warning earlier and none of the humans here would be able to defy it simply because their daemons won't be able to defy it."

"That tiny little thing sent a warning? Isn't your daemon some kind of big cat or something? Why would a bunny scare a predator?"

"Tiger," she nods, eyes distant as she listens to her agitated daemon. Her pale complexion grows even paler. "He said don't look any deeper into it but the gist of it is the less you know, the better and appearances can be deceiving." Her voice is hushed, staring over at the couple she personally considers seriously unphotogenic for the sheer fact that none of them have been able to fully capture just how _gorgeous_ they are in person. "There is a daemon heirarchy and Baidi is the apex."

"My daemon is nodding."

"He also said to leave them alone. An angry Baidi and Chidi are not to be trifled with."

"I'm not doing anything," the photographer protests, his arms up defensively. "We are just taking photos."

"They noticed some of the staff including you taking videos earlier."

The man colours because he cannot deny that. "The daemons weren't in the shot and I wasn't the only one," he replies instead.

"Do you really think that matters? A daemon protects its human. My daemon said remembering that is very important."

"Is that...is that like a threat?"

She shakes her head. "No, but my daemon suggests you take it as one."

—

“I hate this.” Yibo’s voice is quiet, his cap pulled very low over his face.

“I know, puppy. It’s just for a short while. I’ll be with you soon.”

“I won’t be able to see you,” Yibo points to his cap, voice muffled even more behind his mask as his voice becomes softer with each word.

Xiao Zhan reaches across to take the younger man’s hand, squeezing it tightly. 

“I’ll be able to see you. No matter where you are. I’ll make sure I can see you. Ignore them okay?”

“I’ll try.” 

They hold hands until the plane doors open.

**~~~**

**_04-05 August 2018_ **

"You know, hitting the person who loves you the most is considered spousal abuse.”

Yibo’s eyebrow goes up. ”Spouse? You got so mad at me the other day for _playfully_ calling you _laopo_ that you ignored me for a full hour and now you’re declaring yourself my spouse?”

“Ah, right. Yes. Well…” Xiao Zhan frowns for a moment before he brightens. "You are unique," Xiao Zhan nods sagely and strokes at an imaginary beard as Yibo rolls his eyes.

"Cheesy as fuck."

"You love it."

"I love you."

Xiao Zhan freezes at the easy way Yibo had said it. He can see the still twenty year old's ears burning but Yibo, as only he can be, stubbornly maintains eye contact, his chin tilted up in challenge.

"Ah...Wang Laoshi..." Xiao Zhan replies in a soft tone. "One day you will kill me with your sweetness."

The shift is immediate, Yibo's hands are faster than his mouth and he slaps at the other man and then hoots as he dodges the automatic return swipe. 

The older man groans and gestures to one of the rig crew. "Is it safe for us to get up there before we start shooting?"

"What's Lao Xiao up to now?" Yibo calls out in a sing-song voice. "What are you up toooo?"

Xiao Zhan ignores him, conversing quietly with several of the crew.

Yibo keeps calling him, asking and asking and asking. He finally approaches the other man and tugs at his sleeve with a pout. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Instead of answering, Xiao Zhan gestures to the roof. "Get up there."

\---

After so many weeks of this, both of them are quite practiced at hauling themselves onto the roof and even Xiao Zhan, who isn't athletic by any stretch of the imagination despite his lithe built, climbs up without complaint.

Yibo helps the man up and over the railing, his hands lingering here and there. He catches one of the rig crew giving his hand a sidelong gaze with a knowing smile and in defiance, he squeezes tighter instead of letting go.

"Owww! Wang Laoshi can you be kinder? This man is still six years older. Save your abuse for tomorrow and maybe I might be able to tolerate a five year age gap.”

"No. You're clumsy and I don't want you falling off the roof. That would be the worst birthday present ever."

"He cares," Xiao Zhan replies, his tone vaguely mocking but his eyes are twinkling. "I am so fortunate to be cared for by the beautiful moon."

Yibo colours. "Not this again," he hisses. "And you're one to talk when you're the literal sun."

"Aiya...can we call a truce?"

"But it's my birthday..."

“Tomorrow.” Xiao Zhan huffs out a sigh and steps closer to the younger man, slipping his arm around the other's waist. "Alright then," he whispers placatingly as the pout deepens. "Help this old man navigate this awful roof. I want to stare at the stars and tell them with absolute certainty after a lengthy appraisal of course, that the beautiful star I love shines so much brighter."

The birthday boy bites his lip and says nothing, slipping his own arm around the other's waist.

\---

"How long do you think they intend on staying up there? They’re done filming and Xiao Zhan needs to drive out for some other commitments."

Director Zheng shakes his head at the other man. "Let them be. It's Yibo's birthday tomorrow and Xiao Zhan won't be here for it."

"Ah...you're right. I didn't even think about it. I’ll stay with you.”

"You don't want to go?"

"No one will say anything about them hanging out on the roof when they don’t need to be there if both the directors are here."

Director Zheng merely nods with a smile and returns his attention to his laptop.

\---

Yibo pops another sweet into Xiao Zhan's mouth. Someone had given Xiao Zhan a packet of white rabbit candy because it reminded them of Chidi. Neither of them thought it would be a good idea to tell the daemon that though so Xiao Zhan had pocketed the sweets in his shorts and promptly forgotten them in the face of teasing Yibo. They had only discovered it when Yibo had _accidentally_ groped him and then asked with a disbelieving laugh as to why his ass was lumpy. 

"Are you trying to fatten me up? I'm pretty sure I've eaten five candies for every one you eat."

"It's not my fault you're a biter. I prefer sucking." Yibo replies with perfectly straight face as he unwraps another candy slowly.

Xiao Zhan looks around automatically to see if anyone is nearby. Their daemons are playing around somewhere and their conversation isn't private. 

"Wang Yibo, remember where you are."

"What?" The innocent face remains. "Look," he points at Xiao Zhan's mouth. "You're chewing your sweet." He sticks out his tongue where half his candy still remains. "I'm sucking mine." His expression turns sly. "Xiao Laoshi are you having dirty thoughts?"

The older man wrinkles his nose deciding it is far far safer not to reply.

They shift closer as the air grows cooler. Not cool enough by his standards of course but enough that he doesn’t need to hold onto his fan or hike up his robes. They sit in companionable silence for a few more minutes, two more sweets ending up in Xiao Zhan’s mouth in that time.

“Are you making any wishes later?”

“Later?”

“For your birthday”

Yibo’s brow wrinkles and he looks down at his lapful of candy wrappers for a long time. “I know my wish won’t come true,” he finally whispers.

Xiao Zhan presses closer still before calling his daemon.

Nothing needs to be said, as a barrier of red appears on the roof. Zhulong has the presence of mind to keep himself and Bailong on the right side of the barrier this time.

“Hey…sweetheart look at me.”

Yibo looks up, chewing his lip. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, but I’ll be back alright? I’ll try and get back in time for dinner and I’ll bring my present as well.”

“You didn’t need to get me anything,” Yibo flushes looking back down to sort through the candy wrappers in his lap, layering them one on top of the other and folding them. “You’re enough.”

“Aiya…Wang Yibo please.” Xiao Zhan waits for Yibo to finish with the wrappers before he climbs astride the younger man’s lap. “It’s your birthday and I can’t be here for most of it. It’s okay to be upset with me.”

Yibo slow blinks up at the older man, his hands loosely finding their place around his waist. “I have you already. I’m a little disappointed, but I’m not upset.”

Xiao Zhan cups his face and leans down to press their mouths together. “Such a good boy.”

A tongue darts out to lick along the plush seam of Xiao Zhan’s mouth, coaxing it open. “Reward me then, gege.”

The laughter that falls between them is warm, husky, and tastes sweetly of home.

—

“Stop it! Get away from me!”

“It’s so cute, look at it.”

Bailong shudders as he watches Xiao Zhan chasing Yibo with what looks like the largest damn cricket or moth or whatever the hell it is he isn’t going anywhere near it to find out. Zhulong is chuckling next to him.

"Gege, it's not funny. Yibo hates creepy crawlies and so do I."

"You can breathe fire and cause every single daemon within a five mile radius to bow down to you and you're afraid of a bug?” Zhulong snorts. "Unbelievable."

Bailong butts his head against the other daemon's body. "I'm not afraid. I don't like them. There's a difference."

"So if I found a cricket now and decided to play with it next to you, you'd be fine?"

"I hate you."

Zhulong grins and gets up, making a huge show of wandering off into the shrubbery, unsurprised when he is tackled by a snarling little lion cub before he can even get to the outer edge of the hedge. 

\---

“THREE, TWO, ONE! WANG YIBO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!”

Embarrassed as hell, yet pleased despite it, Yibo doesn’t know what else to do but keep hitting the man.

—

“Call him now. Yibo’s phone is turned off.”

“Bailong,” Zhulong calls out immediately.

The cub appears as a full-grown lion and Xiao Zhan is thankful he waited until they were in the special daemon car before he asked for the other daemon to be called.

“I can’t be here.” Bailong’s voice is bleak. “Once you get there I’m going to the League. Are you coming with me?”

“You know you can’t punish their daemons for this.”

“Watch me.” The lion snarls.

Zhulong sighs and waves a paw at the large predator. “Come here.”

Bailong growls but he complies and does one better, changing into a small but extremely angry-looking cub and hops up next to Xiao Zhan and lays his head in his lap next to Zhulong. “Gege…” his voice is quiet as the older daemon strokes his head gentle, comfortingly. “Yibo is crushed.” He sniffles. “He doesn’t show it, but he is hurt.”

“Why didn’t they stop it when the abuse started coming in?” Xiao Zhan asks, his voice is harsh with concern and anger even to his own ears. “Who is responsible for this?”

“Biyu doesn’t know. She’s been asking but she’s getting stonewalled so it likely came from very high up.”

Xiao Zhan’s mouth is set in a grim line. “Perhaps there’s one person whose daemon needs to remember exactly who the fuck the two of you are.”

“You are not helping,” Zhulong murmurs at his human as Bailong’s ears perk up. “No, sweetie. You are not scaring the life out of her daemon. We will go to the Daemon League and talk to them. You might be on top of the hierarchy but even rulers have to abide by laws.”

“But Yibo is hurt!”

He is honestly inclined to agree with the cub. He tries to call again and is again met by an automated recording. Before he is able to try again, his phone rings.

_UNIQ Yixuan-ge_

“Fuck.” He answers it immediately, putting it on speaker. “Hello.”

The older man cuts straight to the point. “I can’t get to him. I’ve been calling for the last hour. Are you close by? Can you get Baidi to talk to you?”

“I’m here,” Baidi replies. “I’m going back now though. He’s very hurt.”

“I can’t even imagine,” the normally soft-spoken man swears under his breath. “Can you ask him to call me please?”

“He won’t talk to anyone. He just…lies there.”

“How far are you?”

“At least an hour.” Xiao Zhan answers. “I’m in the car.”

“Can you go with Baidi?”

Zhulong perks up thoughtfully. “Actually, he can. We can.”

“Who’s that?”

“My daemon.”

“Ah, Chidi. Hello.”

“Hi. Okay, so we can get him there in…” Zhulong looks at Bailong who just shrugs. “Very soon.”

“Call me when you can please? Preferably before the day ends. I know he won’t be okay but I want to hear him.”

Xiao Zhan nods. “I will. Thanks for checking in.”

There is the briefest silence before Yixuan speaks, his voice serious and quiet. “Yibo was my didi long before he became yours. I will never stop checking in on him.”

“I understand.”

“I hope you do. Take care.”

“You too.”

Xiao Zhan waits for Yixuan to hang up before he does, exhaling loudly.

“Was that a belated shovel talk?” Zhulong asks, vaguely amused.

“No time to talk. You need to put him to sleep.”

“Wait, wait, let me talk to the driver first. He’s going to have a heart attack if we arrive and there’s no one in the car.” Xiao Zhan is feeling anxious all of a sudden. Like how quickly exactly is he going to be able to get there? He moves to pull the aside the window separating them and the driver to speak with him.

“You’re taking him through timeout?” Zhulong asks quietly. “Why can’t we just fly there?”

“Flying will take longer.”

“Longer is relative,” Zhulong rolls his eyes. “Five minutes max is not long by anyone’s stretch of their imagination.”

“Compared to less than a minute? You’re five times faster.” Bailong changes back into his adult form. “Stop arguing about this.”

“Alright,” Xiao Zhan returns his attention to the two daemons squaring off. “What’s going on?”

“I need to put you to sleep because Bailong is taking you through timeout.”

“What?”

“Enough talking!” Bailong orders.

—

Xiao Zhan doesn’t even remember falling asleep. He does remember waking up though.

In their room, his head on a pillow that feels suspiciously damp.

The blinds are drawn and it is pitch black he can barely make out his hand in front of his face. Xiao Zhan can hear Yibo murmuring to Bailong who is back to being a cub between them. 

“Where did you go?”

Zhulong must have nuzzled Yibo then because the younger man lets out a watery chuckle that makes Xiao Zhan’s entire chest _hurt_. 

“Ah, you went to get your gege.”

“I went to get yours too.”

“Wh-what?” 

Xiao Zhan turns and reaches over, finding Yibo’s head covered by a pillow. “Baobei.” He breathes out. 

There is a muffled squeak and maybe a yelp or two as daemons get accidentally smushed in the process where Xiao Zhan suddenly finds himself with a warm body stretched out on top of him and a damp face pressed against his throat. 

They just lie there. Hugging.

Xiao Zhan rubs up and down the younger man’s bare back and starts singing _Nan Hai_ quietly.

The wetness against his neck intensifies but Yibo doesn’t make a single sound, not even when he inhales, and it is Xiao Zhan’s voice that falters, cracking over some of the lyrics and stuttering over parts of the rest but as the song progresses, he strengthens his resolve and his voice grows firm, infusing his love for the young man into his voice. He fills in the gaps left exposed from being publicly ripped apart and he holds the precious gift he has been given close to his heart, giving back the love the man has given him unconditionally from the very start. 

His eyes are filled with unshed tears as he holds the heartbroken young man in his arms. Yibo, the sweetest person he has ever met. There is a light in him that is like Hanguang Jun but it is more because he is real. And because he is light, there will always be darkness that will want to steal it, and when they cannot, they seek to dim it. If it’s the very last thing he ever does, Xiao Zhan will not let them bring him down. He is Yibo’s sun and he has to shine strongly for his precious moon.

_Xiao Sun_ , Yibo jokingly calls him because a lot of the cast had taken to calling the younger lead _sunflower_ which Yibo had simply shrugged and went with. When he had asked about it, Yibo had said that they aren’t mis-speaking nor does he consider it a tease or anything derogatory. 

It is simply the truth. 

“Baobei.”

“Mn.”

“I love you.”

Yibo clears his throat. “I know.”

“We have a few hours before the night shoot. What do you want to do?”

“Can we just lie here?”

“In the dark?” Xiao Zhan adds a little pout to his tone. “But I want to see my pretty moon.”

“Ugly moon.”

“Wang Yibo, you are a lot of things but ugly is absolutely never to be one of them and if you don’t believe me, I’ll draw it for you. I’ll draw you.”

Yibo lifts his head, blinking the gunk from his eyes but not wanting to rub at them and relinquish his hold of the older man.

“Like one of your Chongqing girls?”

Xiao Zhan snorts and squeezes his arms around Yibo. “That movie is as old as you are.”

“I hate birthdays.”

“That’s okay. Birthdays can suck. How about you just let me change your mind?”

“I don’t think even you can.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Yibo’s laughter is still watery but at least he is laughing. “I thought I was the competitive one?”

“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan tugs the younger man back down to his chest and kisses his forehead. “For you? I would fight anyone and anything.”

“For you, so would I.”

Xiao Zhan’s arms tighten again and he kisses the younger man’s forehead one more time, gratified when Yibo lets out a soft, sweet whine and snuggles closer.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just watching the Bazaar video where people saw XZ looking like he’s shying away from Yibo’s stare but I saw different. If they don’t match your HC, just remember daemons are involved in this fic lol. Also, final chapter will likely be posted at the end of the month rather than the day before cos while it is already 10k words, I have A LOT MORE to add omg…


	10. Forever Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to focus on the development of their relationship into something steady so that was the focus of the majority of this fic. This last chapter is more like a “snippets of events” in the subsequent two years. I have tried to keep them reasonably ordered but also vague because we only know so much lol so most of what i’m writing about are bts type things rather than what we’ve actually seen if that makes any sense. Hope you enjoy this last chapter. It is 26.5k words omg…which means I have posted over 500k words in 5.5 months!!!!!

**_See you later, never goodbye_ **

“Hey.”

Xiao Zhan frowns when Yibo doesn’t answer. Their bags are already in their separate cars and their assistants are waiting with their daemons but Yibo had disappeared just as they were about to leave and Xiao Zhan knew where he would be even without Bailong telling him. The man is standing with his shoulder propped against the wall at the end of the short entranceway in their room, staring in the general direction of their bed. 

Well, his bed. His body is facing _The Wall_ , the room now back to its original condition, furniture rearranged and beds separated as they should be. Rumour has it, they were not the only ones to join beds but Xiao Zhan isn’t really that interested in the details of someone else’s love life. He knows what it’s like to have a relationship scrutinised to every little minute quirk of his mouth and he doesn’t wish it on anyone. 

He sees the man’s shoulders shake as he takes a deep breath and Xiao Zhan bites his lip, hurrying forward. He drops his chin on Yibo’s outer shoulder and wraps his arms around the painfully thin young man. The last few weeks have been pretty torturous and gruelling, constantly commuting between locations and other commitments outside of the drama. The weather had gotten even worse, the sun unrelenting in its pursuit to burn them all to a crisp he feels. Yibo and Zanjin are particularly adept at the vigorous use of sunscreen while Xiao Zhan not so much and he has the mitts to show for it. 

“Hey,” Yibo’s voice is a hoarse whisper.

“I’m still here,” Xiao Zhan nuzzles a damp cheek. “Still here. Not going anywhere.”

“I know.”

Xiao Zhan crosses his arms around the slim frame, rubbing his palms across sharp pelvic bones and frowning to himself.

“When we get back I’m making you hotpot and you’re eating every single last piece of meat.”

“When will that be?”

“Whenever we are both home.”

“We don’t live in the same part of the city.”

“Baobei…are you trying to make this harder on yourself?”

“I…I…I do—” 

Yibo’s voice cracks so badly and the shuddering sob that follows makes Xiao Zhan move quickly, tugging the younger man over to the inner bed, sitting down and pulling the younger man down into his lap.

He just holds the younger man, letting him cry. Yibo had been short tempered the last couple of days, the day before in particular. Extra snarky bordering on snide and even rude at some point, and Xiao Zhan had mostly let it go because he has a mess of commitments after the wrap and had been preoccupied with trying to make sure everything is balanced. He is forever thankful that Da-Xia and Biyu had become such close friends that they had matched up their schedules as best they could without making it seem too obvious to anyone looking. He doesn’t know how long that can last, but he will take everything he can.

Knowing Yibo and the way he had finally cracked today, he hasn’t spoken to Biyu nor has he seen his schedule beyond the fact that _it is packed_. Quite a few of those days overlap with Xiao Zhan being in the same city and so he starts telling the younger man about it, knowing full well that even if Yibo is upset, he will still listen. 

He talks about Beijing.

He talks about Shanghai.

He talks about Changsha.

He even talks about Chongqing. 

Yibo has yet to meet his parents but Bailong had introduced himself to them and their daemons in June and unsurprisingly, been so charming to the point where his mother asks after Yibo _first_ whenever he has a few minutes to spare to call home. Several small boxes of TCM products have already made their way to their room during filming, maybe a quarter of each box meant for Xiao Zhan. The rest were for _poor Xiao Bo and his bad throat_. Yibo had basked in the attention naturally. He has yet to enquire into the details of the visit but Zhulong had accompanied the cub and if there had been anything to worry about, he would already have been told.

“It’s not the same,” Yibo finally speaks, wrapping his arms tightly around Xiao Zhan. “It’s not the same. It’s not home.”

“Home is wherever you are, remember?” Xiao Zhan rubs his chin on Yibo’s bare forehead. 

Yibo shakes his head stubbornly. “I know that, but…there’s no base. Like, I had to go away for days at a time during this shoot and it wasn’t as upsetting because I knew I was returning home eventually.”

Xiao Zhan tilts Yibo’s tear streaked face up to meet his eyes. “Then we make a base.”

“Just like that?” The younger man questions incredulously.

“Just like that,” he nods. “Wherever you want.” He smiles as a look of wonder enters Yibo’s eyes as he looks up at him. Even he can see what others tell him they see when Yibo looks at him. The younger man really looks at him like he hung the stars. He bends over and presses their mouths together gently, breathing in the other.

“Can we move in together?” Yibo asks hopefully, licking at Xiao Zhan’s bottom lip, one of his favourite things to do besides biting it. He loves the feel of the pillowy softness against his tongue. 

The older man chuckles and lifts his head, watching their vague reflection in the large television opposite the bed. “I think we have to maintain separate residences for work’s sake.” Yibo starts to protest and he squeezes him against his chest, a silent request for the young man to hear him out. “But I don’t mind sharing a rented apartment in a city of your choice.”

Yibo makes a strange sound and Xiao Zhan suddenly finds himself with a proper lapful of the young man now peppering kisses all over his face, making him giggle. 

“My baobao is the best.”

“I should hope so.” He murmurs. “Now kiss me properly.”

Yibo is only too happy to comply.

—

“Told you this is what they’d be doing. It’s your turn to tell the League to get stuffed next time they call us _for an accounting_.” The last is said with so much derision that Zhulong is hard pressed not to laugh at the grumbling daemon.

The two men break apart with a grin at the high pitched voice, turning to the other bed where their two daemons are staring at them with matching expressions of fond exasperation though Bailong is a little more smug than the older daemon.

“Is everyone looking for us?”

“We’re the only ones left. I know we are driving not flying today but we still need to be reasonable about it,” Zhulong chides. “Don’t give that woman any more reason to try and find loopholes in our laws please. She’s really fucking tiresome.”

“Biyu is about to have a cow. I heard her lie on the phone saying you needed a toilet break.”

Yibo scrunches his nose. “If I pee, it won’t be a lie.”

“That’s not the point!” Zhulong throws his paws up and turns to Bailong, pointing at Yibo. “This is your problem.”

“Oh so when he’s not behaving, he’s mine? So that’s how it is?” Bailong turns his nose up and leaps off the bed to join the bemused humans. 

Zhulong just rolls his eyes, deciding that it is far safer not to say anything.

“Smart,” Xiao Zhan laughs as Bailong squeezes in between his and Yibo’s bodies and settles into the small space and making like a kitten instead of a decent sized baby lion. The cub is in a right snit and both of them figure there were probably more words exchanged in and around their cars than their daemons are letting on.

“Let me go pee and then we’ll go, okay?” Yibo crawls reluctantly off Xiao Zhan’s lap. 

Bailong merely waves him off before slipping his head under Xiao Zhan’s teeshirt and disappearing underneath it.

“Huh…” Xiao Zhan shrugs as the cub settles against his heart. He pulls back his collar and looks into his tee shirt. “Am I taking you with me?”

Yibo gestures for Zhulong to follow him and both human and daemon disappear into the bathroom.

“What happened?” Yibo asks without preamble, sitting on the closed seat of the toilet bowl.

“Daemon League told us to lay low. Just because we can do what we want doesn’t mean we have to do it. Even I’m not sure what that means. If we can do it then why can’t we? If they don’t want us to do it then they should enact better rules or something. As it is, we don’t really have rules around Level 1 daemons and what they can and cannot do because each Level 1 daemon has been different and generally too powerful for even the League to contain. There are rules for my position as the red dragon, but it is more to prevent wars and the like. They’re a little surprised that all we want to do is make sure you two are happy and can see each other. They’re much more used to humans with levels 1 and 2 daemons who are interested in _world domination_ or some such fucking shit like that,” the rabbit daemon spits out annoyedly. “Honestly, I don’t blame Bailong for being in a snit. They won’t clarify what _lay low_ means because they can’t exactly stop us from…well…being us and they definitely cannot stop us from making sure our humans are fine so they’re toeing that stupid political line where they have _told_ us but won’t actively do anything to stop us, because they can’t. Not technically.”

“Technically?”

Zhulong shrugs and allows Yibo to pick him up. “We haven’t actually broken any rules or laws and even Bailong hasn’t actually exercised his powers beyond the normal limits. Him hunting down those responsible for what happened on your birthday was well within his right to do as your daemon and he meted out his own form of justice which again, is acceptable. It’s just that daemons don’t have the enormous power that he does and that’s the crux of it. This is the first time in recent history where two high level daemons have mated humans.”

Yibo ignores the ugly crawl down his back at the mention of his birthday, focusing on the daemon in front of him who had already felt his discomfort and is leaning against his heart to offer him some comfort. 

“Who were the others?”

Zhulong’s nose twitches, his ears perking up as if hearing something before he leans away and pats a small paw against Yibo’s heart. “Tell you later. Go pee and we can go. Bailong wants to talk to Da-Xia and Biyu. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Yibo doesn’t even get the opportunity to speak when the daemon vanishes from his lap.

He goes about his business, just about to wash his hands when he yelps in shock as the door bursts open.

Xiao Zhan’s high pitched giggle makes him laugh and he washes his hands as the older man curls around his back.

“Did you talk to Bailong?” Yibo asks, soaping up his hands properly.

“Mn.”

“Everything okay?” Yibo’s smile widens at the gorgeous half moon smile Xiao Zhan is sending him in their reflection in the mirror. The older man’s chin is resting lightly on his shoulder and he wishes they could stay like that for awhile.

“Despite the extensive conversations over the past few days, they still managed to stuff up my schedule.”

Yibo frowns. “Ge, you really need a new agency.”

“Don’t we all,” the older man remarks drily though his tone doesn’t match his voice, his eyes are practically shooting stars of happiness.

He finishes rinsing his hands and he turns in the circle of the older man’s arms, cupping his damp hands on the man’s jeans, earning himself a half-hearted swipe. 

“I’m not your rag!”

“You’re my blanket. Why can’t you be my rag too?” Yibo gleefully dries his hands on the soft curves of Xiao Zhan’s ass, mollifying the older man by kissing his ear. “Zhan-ge…we have to say goodbye soon.”

“No goodbyes,” the older man pulls back a little. “And even if we were going to part, it would never be _goodbye_. It would be _see you later_.”

“Even if later means three weeks from now?”

“Even then.”

Yibo huffs a sad little sigh. “I know I’m always trying to separate us from Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian but honestly, I wish we could say _see you tomorrow_ the way they do.”

“One day,” Xiao Zhan’s voice holds absolutely certainty. “Now I think you missed the good news.”

Yibo’s brow furrows as he goes back over the conversation and his phoenix eyes widen cutely. “Wait…we’re not parting?”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head with a grin. “They fucked up and sent Da-Xia next week’s schedule instead of this week. I’m going to Shanghai too.”

“Same car?”

“Bailong is working on that.”

“Same car then,” Yibo beams and presses a huge noisy kiss on Xiao Zhan’s cheek while still smiling, smooching his cheekbone loudly and sloppily until the older man pushes him off with a laugh.

**~~~**

**_Unnecessary History Lessons_ **

Xiao Zhan watches fondly as the two daemons eat their snacks on the booth seat opposite them. They are in a similar vehicle to the one Yibo had hired for their first date, but instead of forward facing seats, the middle two seats are able to swivel to face the back. He is in Yibo’s lap, head against the window and legs dangling off an armrest. They both know it isn’t safe but Yibo is feeling clingy and Xiao Zhan, just like his daemon, finds it nearly impossible to say no to the younger man.

This is Yibo’s car. Xiao Zhan’s is a similar vehicle but it is filled to the brim with their entourage and luggage. It is a three hour drive to Nanjing and while they are both definitely planning on staying together while in the same city, they are not pinning their hopes on it happening for they have been disappointed before so they make full use of whatever they can get whenever they can get it. The four summer months were a blessing, but in a way, also a curse for they know what they are missing out on now.

They are travelling from Shanghai after finally choosing another city base after a very intense week of apartment hunting via two extremely harried personal assistants. It is a penthouse apartment on the smaller side with three smallish bedrooms, each with an ensuite but with a very large open plan living area. Xiao Zhan had been sold on the living space because it gives Yibo ample room to practice whatever he wanted while giving Xiao Zhan a direct view to his lover from the kitchen. Yibo had been sold on the master bathroom, equal in size to the bedroom it is attached to with a double vanity and massive double walk-in shower. The pièce de résistance had been the very large circular jacuzzi by the window overlooking the city. The downpayment for the rental had been eye-watering and they spent a few weeks of settling in where they had barely even seen each other, like ships passing in the night. They had spent the last three days basically baptising every surface to the point where both daemons had flatly refused to enter their apartment unless commanded. In fact, danger or not, Xiao Zhan is definitely more comfortable in Yibo’s lap than he would have been on the leather seat. Added bonus of Yibo absentmindedly rubbing his lower back since the start of the drive is something he definitely doesn’t want to be deprived of in the state he is in.

“So who were the other powerful daemons with mated humans?”

Xiao Zhan makes a surprised sound which gets him Yibo’s attention. “Why the sudden question?”

Yibo caresses his thigh absentmindedly. “Us. Having daemons like them and being mated is very rare. I totally forgot about my conversation with Zhulong last month.”

“And you remember it now?”

Yibo shrugs. “What can I say, my brain moves in mysterious ways.”

Xiao Zhan laughs lightly, wrapping his arms loosely around his boyfriend’s neck. 

“What was he asking?” Bailong turns to Zhulong with a frown. “What were you talking about?”

“I just wanted to know who were the others because the Daemon League are being a little dicey about us being together.”

“Gege,” Bailong’s tone is uncharacteristically annoyed. “Really?”

“What’s the matter?” Xiao Zhan looks back and forth between the two daemons.

“Nothing, it’s fine.”

“ _This is your hole_ ,” Bailong’s voice is so dire that despite Zhulong’s eye roll, Yibo can’t help but feel a little anxious. 

“Um…okay so who?” He cuts in when the tension gets thicker between the two daemons.

“Antony and Cleopatra.” Bailong sends Zhulong what can only be described as a very baleful look when Xiao Zhan starts sputtering. “Both had level 2 daemons though neither had dragons. Her daemon was a manticore. His was a chimera.”

‘Aren’t they same thing?”

“Similar but no.”

Yibo has no idea what either of those are. He knows of Cleopatra but who the fuck is Antony? As far as he knows she was associated with Caesar but he’s not about to give voice to his lack of general knowledge. As long as Xiao Zhan knows, it’s enough for him.

Xiao Zhan is frowning very deeply. “Didn’t they…”

Bailong exchanges a look with Zhulong before nodding. “They did.”

Yibo feels left out so he decides to forge onwards and hopefully no one notices he didn’t participate in the conversation. “Who else?”

“Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. This was a dragon phoenix pairing. His was the black dragon and hers was a phoenix. Again, both level 2 daemons.”

“I only know Taj Mahal,” Yibo jokes but it falls absolutely flat in the confines of the car. 

Xiao Zhan sucks in a shaky breath, his voice quiet. “The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum housing two tombs. Shah Jahan built it for his wife Mumtaz Mahal when she died in childbirth. When he died nearly her entire lifetime later, he was laid to rest next to her.”

“Why did you bring this up?” Bailong’s voice is tight as he looks at his now contrite companion. “All the examples are horribly morbid.”

Yibo picks up on that. “Antony and Cleopatra too?”

“Double suicide,” Xiao Zhan declares grimly. “He died first. She killed herself a few days later.”

“Why did he kill himself?”

Xiao Zhan bites his lip, turning to the daemons for help.

Bailong pokes at Zhulong’s flank. “Well, _Professor of Unnecessary History Lessons_? What’s the answer?”

Zhulong’s voice is so uncharacteristically quiet that Yibo has to strain his ears to hear him. “He received false news that Cleopatra had taken her life so he took his own life.” The daemon pauses. “He died in her arms.”

There is blank expression on Yibo’s face. “And she took her own life a few days after?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” He doesn’t. Or more specifically, he doesn’t want to. “Any more?”

“Alexander the Great and one of his generals, Hephaestion.”

“Males?”

Both daemons nod. 

“Nobody knew they were mated though. Most believed they were just friends. They had to marry other people.”

Bailong makes a scoffing sound. “They were described as _one soul abiding in two bodies_ How could they have been anything else? Humans are really stupid sometimes.”

Zhulong pats his irate companion placatingly, his face turned towards the somber humans. Bailong is right he shouldn’t have brought this up but what’s done is done. “Both of them had winged stallions as daemons but Alexander’s was black and Hephaestion’s white. Alexander’s was a Level 1 daemon. The other was Level 2.”

“Stallions?”

“Both daemons were male.”

“Do I dare ask how they died?”

Zhulong doesn’t dare look over at Bailong. He can practically feel the cub’s golden shards trying to cut into the side of his face.”

“Hephaestion died suddenly at age 32 but from natural causes. Alexander…” Zhulong trails off.

“Alexander was mad with grief.” Bailong adds tersely. “He spent the equivalent of,” he pauses for a moment. “1.3 billion on his funeral in today’s currency.”

“That’s not a fucking friend!” Yibo exclaims loudly, nearly shouting in fact. “Who the fuck spends that kind of money on the funeral of a fucking friend my god,” he claws at his cheek before rubbing over it with distressed motions.

“Or it is a fucking friend,” Xiao Zhan jokes weakly, getting a glare from the younger man.

“Just like how I’m your _little friend_ right, Zhan-ge?” He replies silkily.

There is a dangerous note in Yibo’s voice and Xiao Zhan starts stroking down his arm, trying to calm the suddenly furious younger man.

“I told you.”

Zhulong hides under his paws. “I know.”

Yibo doesn’t take his eyes off Xiao Zhan when he bites out his next question. “How did Alexander die?”

“Similar symptoms to Hephaestion about eight months later. He was also 32.”

“I see.” _He really fucking doesn’t._ “Is there anyone who _didn’t_ die tragically?”

The silence in the car is so loud Yibo’s head starts to pound with it.

It is Bailong who finally replies almost twenty minutes later. “Each pair has always had some kind of tragedy but I guess it depends on how you look at it.” He gazes steadily at his human. He can feel Yibo’s feelings and it hurts but in truth, after thinking about it in the silence of the car, the very core of each of those pairings had been the deepest abiding love.

“What do you mean?”

“Prince Edward had a Level 3 daemon. He was the King of England but he abdicated to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson who had a Level 4 daemon. Nothing tragic apart from the massive scandal that involved at the time. He left everything he ever knew for love.”

“Don’t forget the ballet dancers. Nureyev and Fonteyn. They had a 19 year age gap and were mated but it was a purely emotional mating. They are also the only known pair in history as we know it,” Zhulong sucks in a breath. “Whose daemons merged.”

“What do you mean merged?”

“The day of Fonteyn’s death marked the 29th year anniversary of their first performance together. When she died, her daemon didn’t disappear at her death and instead went looking for Nureyev’s daemon. His was a black panther and hers was a white swan and on the day of her death, his panther turned white and would only answer to a portmanteau of their names.” Zhulong stares off at the empty seat vacated long ago by his human. “I met him once and it was very disconcerting to see because while humans can only see the white panther, daemons can clearly see the two daemons had merged and resided in that one body. They were both Level 4 daemons.”

“The funny thing is,” Bailong says with a hitch in his voice. “He described them as _one body, one soul_.” He pauses. “And she really made it happen when she couldn’t in life.”

Needless to say, the rest of the car ride was spent in quiet contemplation.

Xiao Zhan never did leave Yibo’s lap the entire ride.

**~~~**

**_Concerts and Birthdays_ **

“Shijie, I’m leaving now.”

“You can’t make it to the concert?”

Yibo shakes his head as he carries his helmet. “I couldn’t get away,” he bites off annoyedly. “They were rearranging a few things due to a guest pull-out. I have to be back here tomorrow afternoon. Watch him for me please. I hope he’ll be okay. He’s been really nervous.” He checks his watch and hums. “Actually, I might be able to get there at the end. Or maybe earlier if I ride hard enough.”

Xuan Lu’s eyes widen. “Wait, you’re biking here? Not taking a car?”

“Shijie, it’ll be even longer if I take a car,” Yibo points out trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. He probably shouldn’t have called her. He’d be on the road by now.

“What about…what about your daemons?” 

Yibo manages a fond smile at the plural. By the time they had wrapped up with filming, everyone had found it normal to refer to the two mischievous little daemons as theirs. It’s no longer Xiao Zhan’s or Yibo’s. They both belong to the both of them and it is widely acknowledged enough for him to feel an odd sort of contentment in his chest. He belongs to someone and someone belongs to him. 

No one else.

“Chidi is flying with me. Baidi is with Zhan-ge.”

“No, I mean. Chidi can’t get you here quicker?”

“Only Baidi can and that power isn’t meant to be used frivolously.” His laughter is a little hollow. “I am pretty sure rushing for my boyfriend’s concert so I can celebrate his birthday with him would be considered frivolous.”

She harrumphs, the sound so out of place for the pretty lady that Yibo snorts in reply, both of them breaking into laughter over the phone.

“Okay, at least I feel safe that you’ll be watched by Chidi. Ride safely please.”

“I always do. See you soon, Shijie. Hug him for me.”

“No kisses?” She teases lightly.

“No. All of his are mine,” he replies quite seriously.

—

Despite the long bike ride, Yibo is feeling exhilarated and free. He had kept to the speed limit the entire way, a promise to Xiao Zhan when the man had first found out he sometimes bikes on the road. He can get his thrills on the track surrounded by professionals rather than on the road where he has to focus not just on himself but on the drivers around him. It is not speed that is the killer, it is inexperience.

He parks at the hotel he knows Xiao Zhan is in since he mentioned just that morning that he had decided not to return to Shanghai the same night since Yibo won’t be there anyway. Since this is supposed to be a surprise, he had booked his own room - one of the fancy suites. He will probably get scolded for it but he remembers that X-Nine room together sometimes and he is definitely not inclined in the slightest to share his gege with anyone that night.

Check-in is a breeze. Seems like the more you pay the less questions you are asked and that suits Yibo just fine. He will be biking over to the venue but he definitely needs a shower and change first. He orders room service for Zhulong who has curled up in the middle of the large king-sized bed to nap after the long flight.

The food arrives just as he gets out and he checks the time, guessing he might have enough time to get backstage depending on how many encores are called. He lays the food out for Zhulong who is still dozing, using the spare plates he had asked for to spread out the vegetables so that the finicky daemon will not get his paws dirty despite having to feed himself. He doesn’t need to ask Zhulong to leave because their daemons all know it’s much better to be in timeout than anywhere around their humans if they have been apart for awhile and Yibo doesn’t even have enough shame to feel contrite about that. He’s a healthy young man with a very healthy libido, in love with the most beautiful human in his world so he’s not going to apologise for being normal.

In any case, the daemons don’t mind anyway, quite content to hang out with each other in timeout.

He finishes arranging the food on the table the meal had been delivered on and moves to sit on the bed, cupping his hand over the now very tiny and adorable little white bunny. Practically a baby bun bun really.

“Hey,” he calls softly. “The food is here. Do you want me to bring it here or are you okay to go to the table when you’re ready?”

Zhulong turns and snuffles cutely into Yibo’s warm palm. “Eat later. Tired.”

“Food will be cold,” Yibo warns. 

“Bailong can warm it up.”

Yibo nods and scoops up the little bunny and cuddles it to his chest, his bathrobe parting enough to allow the daemon to rest against his heart. “His food is in the warmer. I checked and you should be able to get it out without incident if Bailong can catch the tray as you pull it out.

Zhulong turns and cracks open one eye, staring up at the human. “We’re not helpless, Yibo. Worst case we just take all the food to timeout. No issue.”

The young man laughs lightly and kisses the bunny before dropping him gently back onto the bed. “Alright, i’m going to get changed and go. Not sure how long we’ll be out because shijie is here and he’d want to hang out with her for a bit at least so not before ten I’m guessing.” He strokes the bunny who once against snuffles into his palm, tickling him and making him smile. “Thank you for watching over me.”

“I would have even if you hadn’t asked,” Zhulong mumbles with his eyes closed. “No sorries or thank yous remember.”

Yibo stares thoughtfully down at the dozing daemon. “Yes, I remember.”

—

He should have known it wouldn’t be easy to get backstage. What with nine males up for grabs, security is a lot tighter than he had expected. After arguing with the third security personnel, he gives up and calls Da-Xia, glaring balefully at the resolute man who looks old enough to be his father.

“Wang Laoshi? Is something wrong?”

“Xia-jie, must something be wrong for me to call?”

She huffs but she can’t hide the smile. “Well, the last time you called, it was from the hospital so excuse me if I take your calls with due care now and not within earshot of Xiao Laoshi when I shout at you for being in hospital.”

“Is he close?”

“He’s still onstage. Question is, where are you?” Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Your noise sounds like my noise.”

“Well, about that…”

“Wang Laoshi! Did you come all the way here? From Changsha?”

“Uh…yeah I biked.”

She starts sputtering as every single female that he knows does, including both his mum and Xiao Zhan’s whenever they find out that he biked somewhere. Anywhere. It honestly doesn’t matter where. Just the fact that he gets on a bike and goes somewhere with it is enough to cause sputters.

“That’s a nine hour car ride!” She screeches. “Are you insane? Why didn’t Biyu tell me? I’m going to kill her.”

“I told her not to tell you. It’s a surprise. I wanted to be here for gege’s birthday.”

Da-Xia pinches the bridge of her nose. She loves the boys like they’re her baby brothers but dear god one of these days they’re going to give her a collective heart attack and she has vowed to come back and haunt them if it ever came to that.

“Where are you?”

He smirks at the security guy and looks over his head. “Backstage Exit B.”

“Ah you’re very close. I’m walking over now.”

“Thank you.”

Yibo is humming Falling in Love when Da-Xia appears. He interrupts when she tells off the security guard though.

“Jie, it’s okay. He’s doing his job and I feel better if Zhan-ge has people like him around,” he turns to the man he was annoyed with earlier and bows. “I’m really sorry.”

“Yes, but if any of the girls hanging around saw you and recognised you, who’s going to protect you?” She hisses back, still annoyed. “I am not going to explain to Yuehua that one of their stars got accosted because we had overzealous security guards.”

“Then I’ll explain it myself.”

She huffs and throws her hands up in the air. “I give up.”

—

Yibo looks around curiously because there aren’t any dressing rooms per se. More like a row of makeup tables and chairs on one side, a partitioned off wall for those who want to change with more privacy on the opposite side. There are couches set along the remaining wall and in the centre, a giant leatherette footstool-looking thing that appears to be about ten feet by ten feet with stickers on them with the names of each member. He guesses that X-Nine probably have their clothes or accessories laid out and just rush back, grab their clothes and either change on the spot or head to the partition. 

He snaps a photo of Xiao Zhan’s sticker before wandering over to the bank of couches, selecting the corner-most to wait. He can hear the screaming increasing in intensity when Bailong appears.

The ferocious lion shrinks immediately upon seeing him, scampering delightedly across the backstage area, much to the surprise and confusion of a lot of the staff for most of them hadn’t noticed Yibo in his black sweatshirt and jeans with a cap pulled down low over his face. They are still staring and gaping when the cub does a very impressive flying leap into the unknown man’s lap.

“Bobo!”

“Excuse me?” Yibo asks indignantly at the very happy cub and the nickname he is certain he hadn’t approved of.

Bailong giggles and starts licking Yibo so enthusiastically his cap gets knocked off, exposing his make-up free face.

Around the room, various whispers and gasps are heard but none noticed by the human reunited with his daemon.

_“I thought Xiao Laoshi said the daemon is his?”_

_“Well, the daemon certainly behaved like it is his. He was curled up in his lap the whole time I was doing his makeup.”_

_“I know his daemon is a bunny but my daemon said a long time ago that he’s very high level so I thought he just changed into this form.”_

_“That’s Wang Yibo…and that’s definitely his daemon. I thought the daemon looked familiar but when Xiao Laoshi said it was his, I didn’t think anything of it.”_

_“Yibo? The quiet kid from TTXS?”_

_“Actually if you listen to how Xiao Laoshi talks about him, you’d think he never stops talking.”_

_“Are they together?”_

_“If we’re going by familiarity with daemons, I’d say they’re married.”_

—

Bailong is curled up against his heart, nuzzling and purring quietly when the backstage area suddenly gets a whole lot noisier. The cub lifts its head and watches for a few seconds before shrugging and laying back down to rest.

“They’re harmless.”

“I know.”

Yibo observes quietly as a whole troop of men walk in. All sweaty and they are visibly tired but they seem to be in high spirits, laughing and joking amongst each other. 

There is one standout though, one of the tallest in the group, darting around as if he’s lost something, breaking away from the pack of men as he looks around. 

“He’s looking for you,” Yibo murmurs.

Bailong hums and nuzzles against the thick material of his sweatshirt. “I know. I can hear him calling.”

“Go then. Don’t worry him.”

“He will come to us.”

Yibo rolls his eyes but he stays quiet because it is rare that he gets to see Xiao Zhan with his group. In fact, he knows the X-Nine choreography better than he knows any member apart from their main vocalist. He had helped Xiao Zhan practice whenever they were together in the weeks leading up to the concert. Between juggling this, moving into their new place in Shanghai and all their other commitments, it’s a wonder they even have time to breathe. 

He misses the older man with a solid ache in his chest that the bike ride had helped to dispel a little but at the sight of him, it comes back steadily until his chest feels almost full to bursting.

Xiao Zhan has called his members to him by now and the other men scatter, presumably to look for the missing daemon. Xiao Zhan finally catches sight of the quiet figure in black contemplating him from the corner with a very familiar brat in his lap.

Stalking across the floor, his long legs eating up the ground in seconds until he is standing in front of the seated man, his legs leaning against the other’s knees.

Tilting his head up, Yibo takes in the shocked expression on the older man’s face still dripping in sweat and breathing heavily as if he’s been running. He opens his arms and Bailong manages to get out of the way with a loud yelp just in time as Xiao Zhan falls into his lap.

The yelp is loud enough to draw attention to the couple staring at each other.

Xiao Zhan is tracing his fingers across Yibo’s face. “You’re real.”

“Mn.”

“I saw shijie in the audience and…and I hoped but when the last encore came and went and I didn’t see you…”

Yibo just watches the older man, drinking in his features, the brightness in his eyes, the way his body moves with his still-heavy breaths. “I’m here, Zhan-ge.”

Xiao Zhan sounds like he is strangling on his words before he gives up and topples forward, pressing his mouth against the younger man’s, kissing him breathlessly.

“Well, I guess that answers the question,” someone murmurs.

Bailong is back to being full-sized. His baleful golden eyes are watching everyone carefully, his body blocking his humans from view. He doesn’t have Zhulong’s ability to create the shimmering red veil to hide their humans from view but there is one thing Bailong can do to assure their privacy nonetheless. 

He roars.

Twice.

The first had been a warning.

The second an order.

_Protect._

—

**Xuan Lu 22:13 Get ready everyone. Incoming photo spam.**

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Zhuocheng 22:15 WOW LOOK AT YOU! Yunmeng siblings, represent! Sorry I couldn’t be there :(**

**Ji Li 22:15 WOW is right. So gorgeous. Shijie why didn’t you invite me?**

**Haikuan 22:15 Looking good!**

**Yizhou 22:15 Congratulations on the successful concert.**

**Guo Cheng 22:15 WEI-QIANBEIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

**Pei Xin 22:15 Wow okay…**

**Xuan Lu 22:16 @Ji Li Awwwww it was kinda last minute. Next time!**

**Ji Li 22:16 Well that definitely explains why his smile got him the role…**

**Ji Li 22:17 @Xuan Lu It’s okay Shijie just don’t forget next time!**

**Yu Bin 22:17 Holy fuck…**

**Fanxing 22:17 @Ji Li did you really use a WWX meme? Lol!**

**Guo Cheng 22:18 In before LWJ has a moment…@Yu Bin**

**Fanxing 22:19 @Guo Cheng @Yu Bin I think you meant to use this one…**

**Yu Bin 22:19 @Fanxing @Guo Cheng STOP GETTING ME INTO TROUBLE!**

**Peixin 22:20 Pretty sure you did that on your own.**

**Xuan Lu 22:20 Omg do I have to bring out that meme! Maybe this one will work first…**

**Zhuocheng 22:21 OMG A-Jie I don’t think they’re horny!**

**Xuan Lu 22:21 @Zhuocheng Wanna bet?**

**Ji Li 22:21 No comment**

**Yu Bin 22:22 What @Ji Li said…**

**Zanjin 22:22 A little late but those clothes. Wow.**

**Guo Cheng 22:22 OMG SERIOUSLY!!**

**Zanjin 22:22 OMG help what did I walk into!**

**Xiao Zhan 22:23 Aiyo shijie what have you done omg lol!**

**Yibo 22:23 Bailong wanted to say hi**

**Xiao Zhan 22:23 @Yibo OMG that was not from today!**

**Yibo 22:24 @Xiao Zhan I was keeping it handy. He did say hi and it was appropriate.**

**Xiao Zhan 22:24 @Yibo OMG what am I going to do with you???????**

**Yibo 22:24 @Xiao Zhan I can think of a lot of things and none of it fit for this chat. Our son is here.**

**Haikuan 22:25 @Yibo Brother please**

**Ji Li 22:25 NOW he comes out. I guess da-ge isn’t far behind then…**

**Haikuan 22:26 I commented very early on.**

**Haikuan 22:26 @Zanjin Might be appropriate if we exited…**

**Yizhou 22:26 @Ji Li If you want to call me out, do it properly.**

**Zhuocheng 22:27 I CANNOT GET AWAY FROM ALL THIS WE NONSENSE.**

**Xuan Lu 22:27 Oooops I forgot one more photo.**

**Xiao Zhan 22:28 Shijie omg he’s going to kill me.**

**Yibo 22:28 @Xiao Zhan Yes.**

**Xiao Zhan 22:28 @Yibo Kneel???**

**Yibo 22:29 @Xiao Zhan Mn.**

**Ji Li 22:29 I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM THE ONE BREAKING THIS OUT AGAIN BUT IN FRONT OF MY FUCKING NOODLES STAPHHHHHHH I BEG YOU**

—

**Xuan Lu 00:01 Don’t share this because @Xiao Zhan will upload it on his Weibo tomorrow but he won’t be here by then and he said I could share it here. We went to get some supper together and the cake was brought by @Yibo all the way from Changsha. It’s a Le Petit Prince cake based on Xianxian’s favourite book. And before you ask, he didn’t fly here. He rode his bike for over 8 hours!!!!! Omg…I’m still a little mad about that it’s so dangerous! Way too long to be riding something.**

  


**Meng Ziyi 00:01 Oh Shijie lol… HAPPY BIRTHDAY @Xiao Zhan!!!!!!**

**Ji Li 00:02 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!**

**Yuchen 00:02 Happy Birthday!**

**Haikuan 00:02 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVOURITE BROTHER IN LAW!**

**Zhuocheng 00:02 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST IRRITATING FROM LOTUS PIER!**

**Ji Li 00:03 @Haikuan He’s your only brother in law…**

**Ji Li 00:03 Also, thanks shijie. Great…they’re actually together right now…my brain…I’m self-feeding myself dog food wtf.**

**Ji Li 00:04 @Xuan Lu what time was this taken?????**

**Haikuan 00:04 @Ji Li I guess @Yuchen is…something else?**

**Guo Cheng 00:04 HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEI QIANBEI THE MOST UNLAN-LIKE LAN EVER BECAUSE APPARENTLY IT IS NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Ji Li 00:05 Did he just…**

**Zanjin 00:05 @Ji Li He did. HAPPY BIRTHDAY @Xiao Zhan MAY YOUR WO WO BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.**

**Yuchen 00:06 LOL Guess I’m chopped liver…**

**Meng Ziyi 00:06 Wo wo? @Zanjin**

**Zanjin 00:07 @Meng Ziyi You haven’t heard @Yibo randomly going _wo wo_ on set and then @Xiao Zhan smiles at him? It NEVER fails. Maybe you should try it.**

**Ji Li 00:07 Not @Zanjin but @Yibo says wo wo on set a lot how have you never heard it? @Xiao Zhan no matter how tired will always smile for him when he does it.**

**Meng Ziyi 00:08 So @Yibo is wo wo? I’m still confused…**

**Xuan Lu 00:08 @Ji Li I pic-spammed after I left them. So around 10?**

**Ji Li 00:09 @Xuan Lu Great…great…….so great…**

**Xuan Lu 00:09 Lol @Meng Ziyi You and @Zanjin have wo wo too and I don’t recommend taking his advice about saying it to him hahaha. I really don’t think it’ll have the same effect.**

**Zhuocheng 00:10 I guarantee it won’t.**

**Ji Li 00:10 @Zhuocheng You tried?**

**Yibo 00:11 @Xiao Zhan Wo wo**

**Xiao Zhan 00:11 @Yibo**

**Xiao Zhan 00:12 THANK YOU EVERYONE! I’LL SAY BETTER THANK YOUS TOMORROW!**

  


**Ji Li 00:12 My life even in this group chat.**

**Zhuocheng 00:13 @Ji Li Trust me it isn’t just you.**

—

Yibo is nuzzling Xiao Zhan, the man’s warm giggles making him smile. 

“Are we really as bad as everyone says?”

“Worse.”

“Really?”

“Wait till the bts footage comes out.”

“Did you know about this?” Xiao Zhan turns his phone towards the man spooning him. He’s just had his second shower of the night and feeling extremely warm, languid and thoroughly loved from head to toe.

Yibo stares at the screen for a few moments then shrugs. “Not particularly.”

“Poor Ji Li.” Xiao Zhan laughs. “Usually I’m better at these things but I don’t remember this either.”

**~~~**

**_Baobei_ **

“Something’s wrong.” Bailong frowns. “Give me a minute,” the daemon doesn’t wait for an answer, disappearing immediately.

Xiao Zhan has a horrid feeling in his gut and he frowns as well, staring at his empty lap before turning to his co-star, focusing fully on trying to mask his anxiety. “I’m really sorry about this.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m not actually sure what you’re apologising for. Doesn’t your daemon come and go a lot?”

“I’m apologising in advance. If he says something is wrong, it usually means I need to disappear as well.”

“Oh,” her face changes slightly. “Family?”

“Yes,” Xiao Zhan bites his lip. They have special dispensation to attend to each other if something happens, courtesy of the Daemon League who really sees maintaining the relative peace at the expense of some monetary compensation a very small price to pay. While the parameters are actually very low and Xiao Zhan can leave even if Yibo has a stomach upset, neither of them have used the allowance much if at all. Unwilling to inconvenience others unless they have to and not willing to rely on their daemons’ standing in the League and give them more cause for concern about the highest level pairing of the millennium basically, they have tried to remain relatively under the radar. Exploiting the allowance has never ever crossed either of their minds though disclosure of it is mandatory to whoever they are working with. Both had lost some potential work because of it but there is nothing they can do about it. They are both fully aware, especially with Yibo’s professional hobbies, that the likelihood of something happening is higher than something not. At the very real risk of their daemons going into dragon mode which is something all human governments and the Daemon League alike would prefer to avoid especially in a public place, the dispensation had been created and agreed upon.

Xiao Zhan is still conversing with his female co-star when Zhulong appears in his lap, startling her almost off her seat as she gapes at the second daemon as the man stands in alarm, holding the rabbit with one hand and staring at it with growing fear.

“Chidi, where’s Baidi?” 

“It’s Yibo. You have to come.”

“What happened? Did he get into an accident? Fuck, I knew I should have taken the day and gone to his race. Fuck!” Xiao Zhan starts pacing, his other hand messing up his hair beyond hope. His staff are watching in silence, they can practically taste his agitation for their own daemons are also acting up from Chidi’s presence alone. “Is he okay?”

“Shhhhh. Calm down.” Zhulong transforms into the phoenix and wraps his beautiful wings around his agitated human. “We don’t have time for this. His bike had a mechanical failure in the middle of the race and he’s waiting to be picked up.”

“Is he fine? Is he alright? Is he hurt?”

“Not physically.”

“Can you please fucking lead with that next time?”

Zhulong nods. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Baidi came and nearly turned into a dragon, I had to talk him down. I’m sorry.”

“How am I getting there?”

“I’m going to check with Baidi now. He wanted me to prepare you while he tries to comfort Yibo.”

“Tries?”

“He is very upset but cameras are on him and he cannot get close.”

“What the fuck?” Xiao Zhan’s jaw is taut. “I’ll have a word with the director. Baidi can find me. You can go.”

“Okay.”

Xiao Zhan walks off immediately, not realising his co-star trailing behind him. “Y-you have two daemons?”

“Yes,” he answers curtly. Seeing the director he hurries over to the man.

The explanation is short because according to the dispensation, he has no obligation to explain _why_ he has to go. Just that he does. He simply tells the director that Baidi will be returning for him and he’s unsure in what form so not to be surprised and that he will be gone overnight at the very least.

Already forewarned and having signed a piece of paper that alludes to this occurrent happening, there is nothing much the man can do except nod tersely.

“Xiao Zhan!”

Yibo turns and Bailong is waiting as a fullsize lion with Zhulong as a phoenix on his back.

“Why are both of you here? One of you should be with Yibo!”

“Gege needs to put you to sleep. Hurry.”

There is no warning to anyone watching, one second Xiao Zhan is standing, the next he has swooned into a dead faint, caught by the phoenix and laid gently across Bailong’s back.

Several people scream when all three disappear.

Da-Xia is called by the director immediately, her face pale.

“Do you know what happened?”

“Wang Yibo had an incident on the track. His assistant told me if Xiao Laoshi asked for one day, for me to tell you it’s more likely going to be at least two or three. He isn’t aware of how bad it is.”

“Is he injured?”

“Not that we can tell but he tried to run with his bike to restart it so unless he is checked, we don’t know.”

“I see. Thank you.”

She bows and runs off back to the group of Xiao Zhan’s staff and huddling with them to provide an update no doubt.

“Director? We can’t just stop filming for three days.”

“There are other things we can film.”

“But—”

He glances over at her. “I probably should have told you, but I agreed to this. We will film whatever we can without him until he returns.”

“I see.” Her mouth is set in a thin line. “He mentioned it’s a family matter.”

“It is.”

—

Xiao Zhan’s head is groggy as he wakes slowly. He can hear wretched sobbing coming from somewhere and it sobers him quickly as he sits up looking around. Bailong and Zhulong are seated on the floor just by him, watching him quietly.

“Where is he? Why aren’t you with him?”

“He’s filming a documentary so we can’t be with him,” Bailong’s voice is cold enough for Xiao Zhan to know exactly what the cub thinks about that. “He just arrived and he’s in the outer room and there are cameras on him. We are going to go to the League now just to give a brief accounting but we’ll be back. You’ll be okay to handle the press? He won’t want to talk to anyone.”

The muscle slides in his jaw, his jaw tightening even more than when he first heard about the documentary. Yibo is beyond upset and there is a fucking camera in his face so his daemon can’t be with him? Someone’s head is going to roll for this, documentary or not.

“Yes.”

“Alright. Call if you need us.”

“I will.”

Xiao Zhan waits for the two daemons to disappear before he strides out of the room. He sends a glare towards the cameras that were not fast enough to catch his foul expression, taken by surprise at his sudden appearance. He had not yet put on his drama outfit but he is already made-up.

The man is a sight for sore eyes for both Yibo’s mentor and the Yamaha Team Leader when they see him. Yin Zheng and Han Geng who had come to support Yibo in his debut race watch from a distance. They had already been told by Han Geng’s capuchin monkey daemon that Xiao Zhan is on the way and that Bailong is furious. 

“They really should have let Baidi comfort Yibo.” The Level 3 daemon shakes his head. I will drop in and tell them what happened from an outsider’s perspective. Du Hua is reckless trying to provoke a Level 1 daemon like this. Her daemon is barely a Level 9 which is probably why she’s stumbling around like a blind fool. She is going to find herself without a company if she doesn’t watch herself. The governments expect the League to keep the daemons in line and Baidi is powerful enough to command the daemons at will should he choose to. He fucking doesn’t _want to_ is the only reason why nothing has happened but the more Yibo is hurt, the more he will want to. Can they not see that?”

Han Geng’s expression tightens. “I will speak to her too.”

“Yibo’s daemon is Level 1?” Yin Zheng asks with a gasp, his eyes still trained on the couple. Xiao Zhan is kneeling between Yibo’s legs and is speaking quietly to the younger man. He hasn’t pulled off the helmet but they can all see him stroking the man’s arms, squeezing them with each pass.

“Yes, and Chidi is Level 2. Xiao Zhan’s daemon is the only reason Baidi wasn’t breathing fire at everyone earlier.”

“F-fire?” Han Geng enquires, his voice a little thin. “You don’t mean literally right? Baidi was always so quiet…”

The capuchin monkey daemon’s eyes are watching the couple intently from his perch on his human’s shoulder. He answers without looking away.

“He was, wasn’t he? He met his match with Chidi. They’re both born dragons. Two of only five in the world at any one time and they are paired, the first dragon pairing in daemon history. Chidi born as the red dragon is the default dragon king. Baidi is the white dragon, the only one that breathes ice as well as fire.”

Yin Zheng lets out a terrified squeak. “What the fuck?”

The monkey nods as if that was an actual question. “Indeed. Which is why Du Hua really better watch herself. I don’t think anyone has actually explained to her that she’s not just playing with fire here. If Baidi or Chidi get pissed off enough, they can literally set fire to the world. Only their humans can stop them and I don’t know how good their humans are when it comes down to it. I don’t know how good your history knowledge is but the last human who had a Level 1 daemon and was mated to a human with a Level 2 daemon was Alexander the Great.”

Han Geng and Yin Zheng suck in collective horrified breaths. Their knowledge may be sketchy but who hasn’t at least heard of possibly one of the greatest military commanders in the world?

“Alexander the Great…he…he was undefeated in battle.” Realisation is slowly dawning on Han Geng.

“His daemon commanded the daemons while his mate had the power to calm with a wave of his white wings. Why do you think the League is so keen on keeping Baidi happy? He can literally command everyone to kneel _and they will_. I might be named Wukong, but even I cannot disobey him, nor would I want to. He is a rare daemon driven by instinct. While he has no limits, there has never been anything malevolent from him. He only wants his pride to be happy and I can’t fault him for going on a rampage if he is denied this when it is a simple thing to be given.” He ends his tirade grimly. “Du Hua better watch herself. I will see to it myself if I have to.”

—

“Baobei…sweetheart. Baobei I’m here.” Xiao Zhan just repeats at the same two sentences quietly, his hands working to remind the heartbroken younger man that he isn’t alone.

After a few minutes, he hears a soft, broken whisper. “Gege.”

“I’m here, baobei. I’m here for as long as you need me.” Xiao Zhan squeezes a thumb under Yibo’s helmet to caress his chin. “Let’s get you out of these clothes okay? I’d be melting in them if I were you. We can have a shower alright? Let’s get you out of this. I won’t let anyone separate us and if they try, I’ll definitely wield daemon influence if I have to.”

“You’re too nice for that.” Yibo whispers with a broken huff.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. “No I’m not. Not when it comes to you. Come on, baobei, let’s go. The cameras are making my skin crawl.”

Yibo looks up then. “Oh…I didn’t notice. They’re still here.”

“Unfortunately,” Xiao Zhan replies, louder than necessary as he stands and coaxes the younger man up, holding him close and glaring fiercely, directly into one of the cameras that are still on them. 

A loud voice calls out to that cameraman and Xiao Zhan recognises Han Geng, a senior from Yibo’s agency walking over and telling off the cameramen. His gorgeous capuchin monkey daemon is perched on his shoulder and glaring equally at the other humans as his own berates them for privacy intrusion. 

Noticing Xiao Zhan’s attention, the daemon turns to his human, speaking something unheard by everyone. Han Geng looks up and catches Xiao Zhan’s eye, inclining his head in acknowledgement before saying something in reply to the beautiful monkey who leaps off his shoulder and scampers over towards Yibo and Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan waits for the daemon, remembering a brief conversation he had with Bailong about other daemons in Yibo’s agency and told that Han Geng has a Level 3 daemon that chooses to stay in one form than change at will despite being able to. In fact, Zhulong had added at that point, Han Geng’s daemon can disguise itself as inanimate objects as well and sometimes acts as a prop for his human.

Both Xiao Zhan and the still helmet clad Yibo bow shallowly in greeting to the small daemon.

“Ah you two have pretty manners,” the capuchin monkey chuckles before he sobers. “I told Han Geng I’m going to the League to back up Baidi and Chidi’s accounting of what happened.”

“Will they need the back-up?” Xiao Zhan brow wrinkles with worry.

The daemon shakes his head quickly. “No, but I want to offer my opinion on the fact that Baidi was purposefully prevented from being by Yibo’s side because of the cameras.”

“Ah,” Xiao Zhan’s expression morphs again, its elastic nature was very useful for his role as Wei Wuxian but as a person, it is actually quite chilling to watch because most people are more used to his gentle side. “Please do your best to drum that point home.”

The monkey smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes as he had considered how he would feel if prevented from comforting Han Geng and whatever he can imagine is ugly because he has a basis. A long ago memory when Han Geng had to separate from Heechul and if it hadn’t been for him, he has no idea what his human would have done, literally being torn apart from both within and without by his choices that were not really choices at all. 

“Don’t worry,” he replies grimly. “I most certainly will.”

—

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Yibo sighs and burrows against Xiao Zhan’s chest. “Tell me how long I have you first.”

“Forever baobei or as long as you want me, whichever is longer.”

They are back home, transported by Bailong earlier and they have been lying quietly in bed for about an hour now. Both are wearing just sweats and Yibo is using Xiao Zhan as a pillow. 

He inhales long and deep before speaking quietly. “They tell me it’s mechanical failure but I can’t help but wonder if it’s because I’m a rookie. That I did something wrong to cause the mechanical failure.”

“Did you do anything different other than what they told you?”

Yibo shakes his head, his hair tickling Xiao Zhan nose and he wrinkles it. “No.”

“Then it wasn’t you,” Xiao Zhan replies simply. “You didn’t get creative and do anything other than what they told you. If you did anything, it’s because they told you to do it. You said it yourself. You are the rookie, they are the experts. If they say it’s mechanical failure then take it as that. You did everything that was asked of you, baobei. And more in fact,” Xiao Zhan points out. “I spoke to the Yamaha leader while you were packing your things and he said you were in pole position for your group and despite having to start from the pits _after_ everyone had already zoomed off, you caught up and had the second rider from your group in your sights when the mechanical failure happened.” He squeezes the younger man. “Sometimes things just don’t work out. We learn from our mistakes and try not to make them again. In this case, no mistakes were made so all you can do is do your best again next time like you did this time.”

The younger man hums somewhere in the vicinity of Xiao Zhan’s nipple that perks up interestedly at the slight vibration from his close proximity. They have not seen each other in almost a week and had it not been for this incident, it would be closer to ten days before they would be reunited in Beijing. 

“I wanted to win. I knew I could win.”

“I know, baobei.”

**~~~**

**_The Untamed_ **

“How much did you want to kiss me here?”

Xiao Zhan growls and tugs at the laughing younger man who has his phone out of reach. “Seriously, give that back!”

“Not until you tell me,” Yibo replies in a singsong voice.

“Look, you breathe and I want to kiss you alright?”

“But here? Look at how cute I am with my locks of hair falling over my face.”

“That was also the same time you went all fucking alpha on my ass so forgive me if I don’t remember how cute you were while we were filming this,” Xiao Zhan admits with a long-suffering sigh as he stares at the television. They are still in Cloud Recesses and while the scenes were all filmed at different points in time, he will honestly forever associate this period with Yibo deciding he wanted to give Dom/Sub play a really good go. 

And as with anything else Yibo wants to try, he does his best.

Xiao Zhan can still remember flinching at every single sharp word from the younger man, not because he is afraid. Far from it. His cock had been tuned to respond and it is a very quick learner to the point where he had spent a lot of filming being really thankful that while his clothes were white, the robes were thick and layered and he never actually gave himself away.

At least, he thinks he doesn’t.

“Xiao Zhan.”

Xiao Zhan freezes, chewing on his bottom lip and tilting his head up to look at the man through his lashes.

“Bo-ge.”

If Lucifer had a human mask, it would look like Wang Yibo in that moment.

Even as he gets on his knees, Xiao Zhan has a vague passing thought that he hopes nobody asks them what they do when they watch The Untamed…

**~~~**

**_Happy Camp_ **

“Do you want to be in this shoot?”

Both daemons shake their heads, Zhulong replying on behalf. “It’s more fun when people don’t know that we belong to both of you so less appearances with the both of you the better.”

“What have you two appeared in so far?”

“Oooooh pick me! Pick me!” Bailong raises his small paw with an excited squeak that makes Zhulong and both humans laugh at him fondly. It’s not as if he needed to ask for a turn anyway, but with the drama finally airing last month and between all the promotions they’ve had to do, Bailong is extra pleased that his family is finally together more often than they apart and it shows. The little cub is extra cute and sticky and so adorable that several people have _almost_ touched him, forgetting themselves and the fact that the tiny little thing is not a domesticated kitten but a dangerous predator and someone’s daemon at that. It is only Chidi who is rarely seen apart from him that reminds everyone of the required distance. The rabbit daemon’s droll voice that can be sharp when he wants it to be has stopped more than one hand. If the human misses even that, Bailong almost lazily freezes their daemon which stops the human. This is a last resort of course because the feeling is disconcerting and quite terrifying. Imagine having someone else controlling your limbs.

“Go ahead then,” Xiao Zhan waves with an indulgent laugh as he leans against Yibo on the narrow couch. They are in a private dressing room backstage at Happy Came and waiting to be called for their shoot.

“Mmmmmm,” the whelp scrunches his nose cutely. “There’s that one where I got to be a big lion.”

Yibo laughs, remembering that. “Your first shoot. Yes, indeed.”

“Then…then there’s the one with gege.”

Xiao Zhan sighs against Yibo’s ear. The first time Yibo had touched Zhulong and he had missed it. He thought he was over it but listening to Bailong speaking about it makes him realise he really isn’t. 

Yibo, as if understanding, squeezes his hand, smiling at Zhulong who is watching them with his head cocked. Nodding and accepting that he is not needed, he returns his attention to his companion. 

“What else?”

The cub hums thoughtfully. “The one where I was a bunny and no one was appreciative,” he sniffs forlornly. “Xiao Zhan even said your skin was softer than my fur. I was very sad,” he pouts but his amused golden eyes are on his decidedly _pinking_ human. Well, mostly pink. His ears are fire engine red.

Zhulong snickers next to him.

“I definitely remember that one,” Xiao Zhan adds with a husky laugh. “Don’t you remember, baobei?”

“Shut up, you.”

“Make me.”

The red veil goes up immediately, with the daemons safely on the outside, Zhulong now getting very adept at reading their humans. It seems he was just in time for the door to the dressing room opens then and a person with a headset enters, stopping short, staring utterly dumbfounded at the shimmering but opaque veil.

“Wh-what the…” she trails off, staring at the magical barrier.

“Can we help?” Bailong asks brightly, his voice squeaky and cute.

“Uh…” the woman is still staring at the filmy screen. “Uh…where are Wang Laoshi and Xiao Laoshi.”

“Do you need them now?” Zhulong enquires politely. 

“Five minutes.”

“We’ll get them out in five minutes. Please shut the door on the way out,” Bailong’s tone has not changed at all, still bright and airy but he is talking to her daemon, his eyes glowing.

The woman turns and does exactly as asked. 

Zhulong grins. “You’re getting better at that.”

The cub rolls his eyes and leans against the currently bigger bunny. “They’re so much trouble, I swear.” He nuzzles behind the white bunny’s ear. “When are they going to tell the world so we can stop being sneaky?”

“They’re not the ones hiding anything. We are. Though to be honest I put that up for our sanity as much as it was for anyone who might walk in. I didn’t want to have to rush off to timeout for like a minute.”

“I know.”

“So you want them out and proud huh?”

Bailong shrugs. “Not really. Just whatever makes them happy.”

“They are happy.”

“So we just leave it alone. They’re not hiding as much as they’re being cautious. They still have to work. Just leave it alone until one of them says otherwise.”

“Okay, gege.”

—

“This side is more handsome than the other side. Stay facing this way.”

Yibo overhears the instruction and looks over snickering. “He’s not handsome at all. A bit old.”

Xiao Zhan expresses his indignance, walking right up into the younger man’s personal space and forgetting they are not alone for just a second until Yibo’s defensive arm stops any further approach, reminding him of it.

“Ah…” he steps away.

Yibo stares at the older man and remarks under his breath. “An old cow eating young grass.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen and this time he definitely makes contact, smacking the impudent younger man who has _most certainly_ benefited from their age difference, baring his teeth and shaking his head.

“Don’t be naughty,” his tone is louder, firmer.

Everyone sees the immediate change in Yibo, marvelling at how quickly he schools his expression and wipes all the mischief from his face with a twist of his mouth. 

A couple of the crew have a quiet conversation about it.

“Are they together?” One of the Happy Camp staff whispers to her colleague.

“I heard from one of the TTXS camera crew that he goes to Yibo’s recordings sometimes and if he doesn’t, his daemon turns up.”

“Which one is his daemon? That really confused me actually.”

“The white rabbit belongs to Xiao Zhan and the lion cub or full grown lion depending on his mood, is Yibo’s.”

“But…” the woman trails off.

“Yeah.”

“Wow. How is this not news? The stars of Chen Qing Ling are actually together.”

“Well, who’s going to break the news? I’ve never personally seen them act other than a little friendlier than normal although that exchange just now is a little sus…” she trails off, watching the two handsome men posing for photos. 

“But the daemons…”

“Are daemons. They are protected by the laws so don’t be the one leaking anything please because they will definitely know who did it if your daemon is questioned.”

“They are definitely together.”

“Well, if we are looking at their daemons I’d say at the very least, that they’re actually married and have been for a long time. Without the daemons, I’m not sure. It’s a _maybe they are dating but I’m not really sure_ so you can see the issue right?”

“With the way this drama has been received, I doubt they’ll be able to keep it hidden for much longer. Everyone is going to want a piece of them.”

“Their daemons won’t allow it.”

—

Zhulong isn’t sure whether to laugh or to ask Bailong if it’s possible to freeze everyone for like ten seconds so he can run over and tell Xiao Zhan to school his damn expression because he has never seen his human drink so much vinegar in the short space of two hours.

They cannot approach because of all the cameras and Bailong is so tickled by the whole thing the cub has been purr-giggling almost none stop for the good part of an hour.

“Did you see?” He asks the older daemon. “Yibo isn’t even trying to win. He literally just held those horrid rubbery things just so Xiao Zhan can get through easily without hurting himself.

“Is that all you’re seeing?”

“Well…” Bailong sends him a sly look. “Xiao Zhan also appears a little pissed in general.”

“Oh I can tell you he’s definitely more than a little pissed.”

“He’s hiding it well.”

“He’s not.”

“I know,” the cub giggles again and pounces on Zhulong. “Why don’t you send him some comfort.”

“He doesn’t need comforting. I need to send him calming feelings or something before he decides to wring someone’s neck.”

Finally hearing the truly concerned note in Zhulong’s voice, Bailong places his paw over the rabbit daemon’s. “Come on. We’ll do it together.”

**~~~**

**_TTXS_ **

Qian Feng nudges Wang Han, interrupting the man from his perusal of the general script for the day’s recordings. “Look.”

The single word expresses a fondness that all the older TTXS brothers feel for their youngest brother that Wang Han is not surprised to see Yibo when he looks in the direction that Qian Feng has nudged him towards. 

“It’s Yibo and Xiao Zhan,” the man deadpans. “You see them together at least every two months.”

“Wait, they’re not moving. Just watch. Ah, Yibo is moving. Good, just wait for it. Wait for it…there!”

The man’s triumphant whisper really wasn’t necessary.

Both grown men nearly coo out loud at the sight of Xiao Zhan holding onto the back of their baby brother’s shirt as he follows him around the set.

“You saw it, huh?” 

They are startled momentarily by Da Zhangwei’s amused voice. Guo Tianhe is smiling faintly next to him. 

“So adorable,” Qian Feng nods, eyes still following the couple as Yibo unnecessarily introduces the man to everyone. Since every single one of his previous visits had been incognito with only the brothers themselves knowing for a fact that it is him, this is the first time that anyone else is getting a proper introduction.

“Have you heard them?” Tianhe asks, exchanging grins with Da Laoshi.

“No. What do you mean?”

The slightly shorter man grins brightly. “Our Wang Tiantian is introducing Xiao Zhan to everyone as _my gege_.”

Qian Feng’s jaw drops and his cooing intensifies.

Wang Han is tracking the progress of both men and he watches the reaction of the staff. He smiles each time because everyone reacts in the same way - with a surprised smile that softens into true fondness as they nod and shake Xiao Zhan’s free hand. The older man keeps his left hand permanently clinging to the back of Yibo’s shirt, his right hand joining his left once he gets it back after greeting each new person.

Wang Yibo is a very difficult boy to dislike once you got to know him. He may appear quiet and cold but truly, his heart is always in the right place. He had gained the studio crew’s love and loyalty for being down-to-earth and always being game for anything and willing to help anyone. It is extremely rare for Yibo to say no whenever asked for help, even if it is something traditionally ‘beneath’ celebrities. He is more than happy to help sweep up confetti on the stage floor or mop up a coffee spill with a rag and would never need to be asked twice.

“He says _my gege_ like he’s introducing his spouse.”

“You know what,” Wang Han murmurs. “I think he is.”

**~~~**

**_AARC_ **

Xiao Zhan has learned his lesson after the first time. This time he’s in the pits, wearing a green mask and a blue Yamaha cap, watching with the crew as Yibo waits in the hot sun for the race to start.

“What are his chances?”

“Same as the last time. If he rides the way he did in the preliminaries, he’ll take the win easily.”

Zhulong and Bailong are both on his lap though Zhulong will need to take off soon to track Yibo around the circuit. His daemon’s eyes are his eyes if he wishes and he does wish. Xiao Zhan will not so much be watching the screens but rather, have an actual bird’s eye view of his young lover. 

“How safe is this really?”

The older man in an identical cap turns to the younger, understanding the question. It is one he gets from every single spouse of his team of riders. In the absence of spouses, parents sometimes enquire but it is rare. Right now he’s at 100% for spousal enquiries. He had watched the pair back in May when Yibo had been dealt a devastating blow at his maiden race, and now on his second, he has had the opportunity to observe them again.

Xiao Zhan is extremely attentive, more so than any other partner that he has seen. At first, he thinks it is due to the newness of their relationship but he scratches that off soon enough. The way they move around each other and the sheer number of times they have communicated without a single word being uttered speaks of a much longer relationship. He also marvels at the maturity of the young couple. Yibo is clearly aware that Xiao Zhan worries so instead of telling the man not to worry, he takes him around the garage and explains all the safety features that are available, the fail-safes, and describes the practice sessions on how to fall. He even goes into a detailed explanation of the one time he had clipped another rider during a practice session and skidded alongside his bike. His explanation had none of the embellishments most young riders tend to add to make it seem more impressive to have survived such a crash. Instead, young Wang Yibo keeps it very factual and relays it in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes never leaving the older man’s face.

The man next to him had listened attentively, reacted appropriately, and then after the entire thing, asked intelligent and related questions, even mechanical related ones on the safety measures that had resulted Yibo needing to ask one of the team mechanics to explain to Xiao Zhan how something worked. Or when it will not work as the case may be.

He has never met a spouse that interested, to that level of detail, on the intricacies that make up the motorsport. 

Not once did Xiao Zhan admonish him for his choice of sport.

Not once did Xiao Zhan guilt him into not taking up something safer.

Not once did Xiao Zhan exhibit anything other than a very genuine interest in Yibo’s professional hobby.

Every single step of the way, he has observed the man being nothing but supportive of their talented, young up-and-coming rider and as far as spouses go, he has definitely been one of the best he has seen in a long time.

“Yibo is a natural rider. He may be eager to win big, but he is more cautious than some of my riders that have been doing it for years. And I don’t mean cautious as in he worries about taking a risky overtaking manoeuvre. I mean cautious in the sense that he is fully aware of everything he needs to consider _before_ taking that risk. The way his mind works is quite astounding and he can multitask easily. Add to the fact that despite his very Leo tendencies, he is level-headed and mature and I trust his decision-making on the race track for he has never displayed anything to cause me to question it.” He chuckles ruefully. “So the summary to my long answer to your simple question is yes, it is as safe as he has explained.”

Xiao Zhan exhales slowly, nodding. “Thank you. Thank you for saying that. I’m so proud of him.”

“I can tell. Both of you have a beautiful relationship.”

—

Yibo smirks, pushing Xiao Zhan up against the door. “A kiss for the winner?” He’d been wanting to do that since he saw the man waiting for him with a welcoming smile and eyes brighter than the sun. Even if Zhulong can block them from view, too many people will know exactly what they’d be doing so he had contented himself with wrapping his arms around the older man and hugging him for as long as he wants.

That turned out to be a good ten minutes, much to the teasing of everyone in the pit.

Xiao Zhan’s answering smirk is just as wide. “Just a kiss?”

Nosing along his jaw and down to his throat, Yibo nips lightly, holding the older man in place as he tries to struggle, protesting the possible marking. “Whatever you want to give me,” he murmurs against the warm skin, kissing up to a fleshy lobe and biting a little more seriously than earlier before licking it, soothing the sting with a wet kiss. “Baobao…whatever you want to give me,” he growls throatily against his pulse before latching onto the sensitive skin and biting.

His knees give out but Yibo is already there, his thigh propping him up and he closes his eyes and gives over to the pleasure edged with pain.

Yibo will always catch him. 

“Take everything. It’s all yours.”

**~~~**

**_Aftermath_ **

Xiao Zhan spent almost a month with his parents. He had his ups and downs of course, spiralling occasionally into a depressive state that only his daemons could pull him out of.

Yes, plural. He knows it happened very early on but he cannot think of Bailong as anything other than his and he knows it works both ways. Or quad ways really since both Yibo and Zhulong feel the same way and vice versa and however else this merry-go-round of feelings go. The younger man has been extremely busy since the lockdown lifted and it is only because of this that he had insisted on packing Xiao Zhan away away to his parents’. In fact, he had given him an ultimatum. 

Your parents or mine.

Going with Yibo was not an option no matter how much Xiao Zhan argued for it. 

—

_“You need to be around people. Everything is too raw right now and people are going to be looking for you to falter. I want to be with you every step of the way but I can’t physically be with you for it and I don’t want you to resent me.”_

_The older man bristles immediately. “I would never—”_

_“Zhan-ge, please.” Yibo stops pacing and kneels in front of the other man seated on the couch and takes his hands. “I am asking you to trust me. This is the first time something like this has happened to you. I have had things like this happen for years and while nowhere close to the scale of yours, I needed time to get out of it too.” He squeezes the cold hands of the pale, angry man staring impassively down at him. “You can be mad at me about it. It’s okay. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”_

_“I’m not okay.”_

_“I know,” Yibo’s eyes are heartbreakingly earnest, a sheen of unshed tears filling them. “I know you’re not, but you will be. Remember what I said was the best thing to do if you’re sad?”_

_“Sleep.”_

_“I don’t want you sleep alone.”_

_“I won’t if I’m with you.”_

_Yibo links their fingers and brings both of Xiao Zhan’s hands up to his lips, kissing the back of both in turn, his eyes never wavering from the older man’s._

_“You might and I can’t have that. I won’t have it.” He presses two more kisses to each hand before laying them back gently in Xiao Zhan’s lap. “You deserve to wake up to breakfast waiting for you. For someone to hug you when you feel blue. For someone to brew you tea while you read your book or remind you to eat when you get too engrossed in binging one of your k-dramas. You need someone to tuck you in and kiss your forehead and remind you that you are loved. Every single day.” Yibo finally loses his battle with his tears and lays his cheek on Xiao Zhan’s thigh, never letting go of his hands. “Gege…” his voice shakes. “You deserve all that and more. I love you so much and this is what I want to give you. Please trust me and let me take care of you.”_

_He bites his lip to stave the tears but it doesn’t work and they flow steadily, a patch forming on Xiao Zhan’s worn jeans. Or maybe they’re Yibo’s. Neither of them have kept track._

_Xiao Zhan takes a deep shuddering breath. He had felt like Yibo was pushing him away. Pushing him back to his parents because he fell into the too hard basket now that he has other things to do besides keep Xiao Zhan company. He was angry and hurt and had just wanted to stay with the one person who grounds him like no other. Who reminds him why he wakes up in the morning. Most importantly, the person who makes him want to wake up in the morning._

_“I want to understand,” he whispers as he shakes Yibo’s hand from one of his gently and cards a hand through the younger man’s hair. “Help me understand.”_

_Yibo moves and crawls up into Xiao Zhan’s lap, legs on either side of the older man’s hips._

_His eyes are red and tears are still trickling but his voice is firm. He recaptures Xiao Zhan’s hands and holds them tightly in his._

_“They are my proxy. I can’t be there no matter how much I want and Bailong will not be enough. My parents told me that even if you don’t choose them, they will come over and stay for a bit once they are allowed to get out. Ma and Pa are fine too. They already agreed and said vice versa as well. I want you surrounded by people that I trust and who know how to love you the way you deserve to be loved. Who know how much I love you.” He laughs lightly, slightly deprecatingly but the amusement is definitely there. “Actually, I don’t think even you know.”_

_It is Xiao Zhan’s turn to kiss the back of Yibo’s hands, his lips dragging over the raised veins before rubbing his cheek against the back of one. He tilts his face up to look at Yibo. “I have an idea.”_

_“Maybe.”_

_Xiao Zhan cocks an eyebrow. “You really think I don’t know?”_

_Yibo’s eyes are clear now, no more tears and very intent on the older man. “Xiao Zhan,” he starts and the older man straightens, brow furrowing slightly. “I am more than Lan Wangji. I would give you the world and if I couldn’t, I would find something better because it simply means the world doesn’t deserve you.”_

_“Yibo…”_

_“Let me finish.”_

_Xiao Zhan nods slowly, never losing eye contact. “Go on.”_

_“You have me. All of me. Even when we’re apart, you have me. You have me in the clothes you wear and in the messages I leave you on WeChat. You have me in the shampoo you use and the toothbrush we share. You have me in the mountain of stuffed toys you collect that remind me how many days we’ve been apart based on the number of plushies piled on my side of the bed. You have me when you take a breath because as long as you live and breathe, I will always be yours.”_

_“Baobei…” Xiao Zhan’s voice is raw with emotion. He can feel every word like a brand on his body. “Okay.”_

—

Yibo had been right.

Xiao Zhan needed to be around people. He needed people other than their daemons to talk to. He needed to be kept busy and focus on something other than himself that only another human can bring. His parents' home in Chongqing is currently a riot of noise for Yibo's parents had finally managed to come for the promised visit and would be staying a week. With five humans and five daemons in the house, his parents' home had never been more lively. 

They were also under watch as Xiao Zhan had discovered that evening when an emissary from the Daemon League had arrived to check in. Apparently a concentration of high level daemons of this type hasn't been seen in awhile and while Level 4 daemons are fairly common in the sense that they socialise a reasonable amount as both Xiao Zhan's parents' daemons can attest to, the addition of Bailong and Zhulong had thrown the averages completely off. Since the last Level 1 and 2 pairing had been Alexander the Great and Hephaestion, it is understandable that everyone starts getting a little fidgety especially if they start mixing around with multiple Level 4 daemons.

The youngest human in the household wonders aloud as he watches his father and Yibo's speak with the emissary. "What do they expect us to be doing? I'm hardly going to plot to help Yibo become the greatest king in the modern world when I can't even save myself from the bullshit that happened online in February."

There is a tinge of bitterness in his voice that causes both mothers to frown. Moving to flank him on the couch with their daemons in tow, both lay a hand on his thigh and pat him comfortingly in unison. 

"If it makes you feel any better, they actually don't know what to do." Yibo's mother laughs lightly and her daemon snorts. 

Yu Yan sends a disdainful look towards the doorway, catching the eye of the emissary's doberman daemon watching her very carefully. "They are concerned but they cannot act because no one has actually done anything. We have a perfectly legitimate reason to congregate here and they know this." She sniffs annoyedly and lays her head in her human's lap and watches the small peaceful looking cub snoring quietly, dead asleep on Xiao Zhan's lap, the result of a food coma. "They are simply here to remind us of their presence and that we are being watched. We know this of course," she sniffs again. "He is a Level 1 daemon. He will always know when he is being watched. They cannot hide it from him."

"He can sense their eyes?"

"Not so much their eyes," Qing Shan interrupts from Xiao Zhan's mother's lap. "Just their presence. He mentioned it to us the second you arrived," the lovely male siamese cat nods at the snow leopard who acknowledges it with a nod of her own. 

"What did he say?" Xiao Zhan asks curiously. Zhulong is with Yibo for his Legend of Fei shoot. It made sense to switch daemons considering it is Xiao Zhan who needs protection while Yibo more likely than not, will require healing. The daemons have remained swapped for almost a week now, the longest yet without either checking in on their actual humans. Both sets of parents had been stunned upon hearing this for Xiao Zhan had accidentally mentioned it in passing, thinking nothing of it over lunch earlier but apparently, it is definitely not a thing. None of the other daemons would even consider switching places with the other.

Not even for their spouse's daemon.

While both sets of parents were shaken, they had soon gotten over it as the day progressed, catching Xiao Zhan up on everything happening in Luoyang and his parents' in turn sharing little anecdotes of the past month with their son. 

Yibo had promised to come and get him when his parents' leave and Xiao Zhan is counting down the days. He sees Yibo every single day. Rain or shine, shoot or no, sleep or no sleep, Yibo never fails to call him at some point between nine to eleven at night. The significance of the time is not lost on Xiao Zhan and while he thought Yibo's obsession with kadian can be a little much, he has grown to accept it as part of the younger man and now it simply fills him with a feeling of security. 

It has been little over a month, and Yibo has not failed him yet. He even calls him from the airplane if he will be stuck in the air during the entire duration, ignoring Xiao Zhan's protests of the exorbitant cost.

_Zhan-ge is worth it._

And that always leaves Xiao Zhan without the ability to form a proper response. Yibo says it so matter of factly like it is law to him. It just is. Like the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. 

Bailong stirs and snuffles around in Xiao Zhan's lap, slipping his head under his hoodie before crawling up under it to reach his chest, laying his cheek and paw against his heart.

"Mmmm...you woke me with your thoughts."

Xiao Zhan unzips the hoodie slightly to peer down at the half asleep cub gently sending a stream of comfort to him.

"What was I thinking about?"

The cub smiles without opening its eyes. "Yibo. I haven't been apart from him this long so every little thing catches my attention."

"You can return to him you know. Zhulong can stay as well I know you miss your gege too. I'll be alright here. I've got an army of four daemons." He offers, not even thinking of his words. Too use to not needing to mind it over the past month, he just speaks without considering what they sound like.

A sharp intake of breath is heard from the doorway and Bailong's eyes open fully with a snap, the daemon instantly on the alert. Any sleep is gone in an instant as the tense cub crawls further up Xiao Zhan's chest, giving the bemused human a long lick from chin to hairline before turning and jumping out of the gap of his hoodie.

The cub turns and looks over his shoulder. "Be good," he admonishes before turning into a full grown lion and stalking to the door. 

There is not a sound as the shaking doberman prostrates and remains in that position.

Bailong turns to the pale human as both fathers step back and away from the door to leave him to confront the unwelcome visitor.

"You know of me."

The man nods. "My son. He speaks of you." He pauses and looks over into the house and catches Xiao Zhan's eye. "Of Xiao Zhan too. And Chidi and Yibo of course."

"You are Haikuan's father?" Xiao Zhan suddenly realises, moving to stand immediately but he is barred from reaching the other man by a very large lion between them.

"I told you to be good," Bailong growls under his breath.

Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes and runs his fingers through the large predator's mane, making everyone watching a little bug-eyed. Xiao Zhan's parents are used to it. Well, mostly. Xiao Zhan is still their son and the intimacy implied in such a casual affection for another's daemon is...a little much to think about as a parent. It isn't just the physical intimacy it implies but the emotional intimacy. Their son is very much completely entwined in the life of another and they don't think this is something fleeting or passing. This is forever.

"I'm really sorry for this one. He has been cooped up with me for a week and hasn't been able to stretch his legs so to speak."

The man balks so badly he actually takes a whole step back, making Xiao Zhan frown. His daemon is whining fruitlessly, still pinned down in an unrelating position of prostration. 

"He has been apart from Wang Yibo for a week?"

This time it is Bailong who rolls his eyes, such a perfect mirror of Xiao Zhan's expression that a discomfited sound escapes the man's throat. His son mentioned Baidi and Chidi though not in a lot of detail. His main takeaway had been that Xiao Zhan and Yibo are mated and that they swapped daemons occasionally. As far as he is aware though, being apart never lasted more than a full day which is the upper limit of every single powerful daemon he knows or is aware of.

'What do you want?" Bailong asks instead of answering the question. 

"Baidi, stop it. The man is just trying to do his job and we like Haikuan, remember? Do you think Haikuan will be very happy if we scared his father?"

Bailong sniffs even as six pair of eyes are nearly tearing at the edges at how much they are goggling at this human and his not-daemon. "Then they should stop bothering our pride." He turns his baleful yellow eyes towards the tense human who looks about ready to crack under the pressure at any time. "I'll go visit the League when Yibo is back and bring Chidi with me." His next words are stone cold. "Xiao Zhan and Yibo ordered us not to act after what happened to Xiao Zhan." His voice stiffens with anger after each word. "They hurt our mate and we did nothing. I cannot disobey Yibo since his life wasn't at risk but you don't know how close it was," his voice is seething with coldness and he takes a step forward. "I could feel him and if anything had happened to Xiao Zhan, he would have gone with him and a war would be the least of your fucking problems, do you hear me? I will raze the world as you know it to the ground."

"Baidi!"

The lion takes a deep breath and retreats a couple of steps. "As you can see, I also take orders from him," he smiles faintly but without any humour. "So tell the League to fucking watch themselves. We are not interested in wars. We are not interested in politics. We are not interested in becoming bigger than we already are and we are certainly not interested in being bound to the League in any way. We just want to be left alone and be a family."

Bailong moves and rubs his head against Xiao Zhan's shoulder. Familiar with the movement, Xiao Zhan turns and presses a kiss to the large predator's head. "Baidi. Be nicer, please? You're channelling too much of your gege right now. I'm going to have to apologise to Haikuan the next time we see him." 

The lion daemon's eyes are on the human at the door. "You take this message back to the League. Don't trouble Trouble if you don't want Trouble to trouble you."

"Baidi."

"I am being good!" The lion suddenly pouts, much to the surprise of the emissary and his daemon. "I am talking to him as the League's representative not as Haikuan's father. I'll apologise to him myself if you're so bothered about it."

"Aiya..." Xiao Zhan shakes his head fondly and wraps his arms around the lion's neck and hugs him. "No need. I'll apologise. Now stop scaring him then and let that poor daemon up."

Bailong shrugs and the doberman finally moves, very slowly, into an upright position. 

The lion bows perfunctorily to the gaping human at the door. "Please accept my apologies, Haikuan's father. Your position is putting you at crosshairs with me and that isn't fair. You may tell the League I will be seeing them shortly to clear things up if necessary."

The man shakes his head. "No. No, it's alright. I think I understand what you mean. You won't do anything if you're left alone."

"Yes."

He takes a deep breath and bows himself. "I am really sorry to have bothered all of you this night."

Something occurs to Xiao Zhan just then as he returns the man's bow along with the other four humans. The daemons don't bother. "They sent you on this assignment didn't they? They wanted someone who would be received a little better than a normal emissary."

The man smiles faintly. "That is correct."

Xiao Zhan hums thoughtfully before turning to Bailong. "When your gege gets back I think you should go and clear up any funny notions they might have. Seems like their imagination is really unimaginable."

"Your wish is my command."

"Silly thing," Xiao Zhan laughs. "Now let me pass."

"Must I?"

"Do you really think something is going to swoop in and grab me?" He points at the doberman. "You'd cleave him in half before he even took a step."

"That's right."

Several humans and daemons shudder at the simple acknowledgement.

Bailong moves away reluctantly, allowing Xiao Zhan to approach the handsome man. He takes his hand, shaking then squeezing it. "I'm really sorry about that. Yibo ordered him to protect me and while he listens to me, anything I say is always trumped by that order."

Haikuan's father squeezes back and then pulls back, smiling faintly. "No one can act against Baidi even if they wanted to. There is currently no daemon even close to being as powerful as he is and for him to want nothing more than to be left alone to keep his pride safe and happy is something the League will have to consider quite seriously."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Zhan frowns.

"There has never really been a Level 1 or even a Level 2 daemon that hasn't either been born into royalty or been associated with the ruling powers. Usually when the human realises how powerful their daemons are, they use it to their advantage and for Baidi to want nothing more than to be left alone to be with his family says a lot about his human."

"Yibo doesn't want the world."

"He wants to give it to you though," Bailong adds helpfully, snickering when Xiao Zhan groans and bares his teeth at him.

"Ignore him please. I don't need anything. I just want Yibo."

The man smiles and nods. "Duly noted." He gestures to his daemon. "Again, I apologise for the intrusion. Please enjoy the rest of your evening."

Xiao Zhan waves at the man who waves back before he shuts the door and turns to Bailong who has since gone back to being a cute little cub staring up innocently up at him with huge golden eyes. "Don't even try that with me," Xiao Zhan pretends to growl, frowning playfully at the adorable little thing. "Seriously. That was so unnecessary."

Bailong drops onto his tummy and whines pitifully up at Xiao Zhan. "But..."

"But?" Xiao Zhan giggles and scoops up the little daemon. "But nothing you little gremlin. I swear you're worse than Yibo and your gege combined. That was so wretched I feel bad for the guy and his daemon? His daemon! Did you really pin him down?"

"I didn't do anything." Bailong protests loudly before deciding lying isn't part of protecting. "Okay so I may have...implied that he better not get up unless it's to save his human."

"Bailong!"

"Gege!"

Zhulong suddenly appears in phoenix form, shocking the four forgotten humans and daemons.

"Is Yibo okay? Why are you in phoenix form? Zhulong?" Xiao Zhan's voice is almost breathless with sudden worry.

The daemon lands on the floor and transforms back into a white bunny. "Can you stop freaking out please? I just had to be a little more intimidating and unlike Bailong here, I can't just change into anything I want. It was either this or the red dragon and really, that would have been overkill."

"Hey! I can't change into anything just for the heck of it."

"Black bunny?"

"That was for work!"

"Wo-work?" Xiao Zhan sputters before he bursts out laughing, sitting on the floor and hugging the cuddly little cub to his chest before scooping up his own daemon and hugging it too. "Sweetheart, you don't have to work."

"It certainly felt like work." Bailong sniffs as he nuzzles Zhulong in greeting. "We had to work to keep everyone from hearing you flirting like crazy with Yibo, remember? My fur was about to fall off my body."

"You were fucking shameless." Zhulong agrees wholeheartedly, shuddering at the memory as Bailong approvingly beams at him.

"Who was fucking shameless?" A new, deeply amused voice is heard.

Xiao Zhan shrieks and drops the daemons as he leaps to his feet and practically flies into Yibo's arms, nearly knocking the smirking young man completely off his feet.

An opaque wall of shimmering red appears between them and their audience, four daemons and four humans staring at the sudden appearance of the boundary. Zhulong and Bailong walk over to the sitting area to join them.

"You see?" Bailong remarks loudly, waiting until he has everyone's attention before he dramatically adds as he points with a small paw at the wall that blocks sound and sight. "Work!"

\---

The collision is likely one for the ages and honestly, with how much time they had spent apart, its actually quite surprising that they aren't already rolling around on the floor trying to tear each other’s clothes off.

However, Xiao Zhan is too happy and Yibo too pleased at having made him so happy to be thinking about other things. 

“My baobao,” Yibo’s tone is lovingly fond. “I found all your little notes."

Xiao Zhan squeezes the younger man breathlessly, so happy his heart feels like it's about to jump out of his chest and fly around the room shouting its happiness. "Every single one of them?"

Yibo laughs and nods, peppering Xiao Zhan's face with kisses until the man starts giggling and trying to do it back. They spend a fair few minutes making each other giggle as they trade playful kisses, hands roaming, lips searching, but nothing gets more serious than that. 

They both move together to sit on the floor facing the other with their legs out, Xiao Zhan with his over Yibo’s as they hug. 

“So…we bumped into someone on the way in.”

“Haikuan’s father?”

Yibo nods. “Zhulong was a little rude. I apologised but we should probably tell him before he hears it from his dad.”

“Bailong was probably ruder to be honest. He was actually swearing.”

“Swearing?”

“ _So tell the League to fucking watch themselves._ ” he mimics before giggling because he absolutely failed at it.

The younger man frowns. “Was he threatening you?”

Xiao Zhan shakes his head quickly, pressing a quick kiss to Yibo’s mouth. “No. Bailong was threatening him. Well, them. The League.”

“Do we need to worry?” He nuzzles against a warm cheek. “Zhulong said he’d take care of it with Bailong tonight but I want to know.”

“Bailong told him that he’d go with Zhulong to the League because it seems like their imagination is really unimaginable.”

Yibo barks out a laugh at that. “Ah Bailong. He does have a way with words sometimes.”

The older man giggles and fits himself closer against the other. “Both of you are very talented.”

“Mmmm…I do have a very talented tongue.”

“Oh?”

“Wanna find out?”

Xiao Zhan’s breathless, pleased, affectionate giggles echo in the enclosed space they are in before they are most determinedly smothered. Lovingly of course. Both of them had honestly forgotten everyone else.

—

“So…” Ying Yue, the she-wolf daemon of Yibo’s father stares at the wall of red before turning to look at the two little daemons. “How long are we supposed to wait? It’s dinner time.”

Zhulong snickers at that and Bailong just shrugs with a grin but it is another daemon that replies.

Wang Shu, the male bengal cat daemon belonging to Xiao Zhan’s father licks his paw. “The last time Yibo came for a visit, we didn’t see Xiao Zhan for the entire day so I guess it depends on how long he’s here for.”

Eight pairs of eyes turn towards the two daemons, both of them shrugging.

“He has to fly to Changsha in the morning, but it’s only a day trip and he’ll be back tomorrow night.”

“After that?” Yu Yan, the gorgeous snow leopard asks.

Bailong bristles slightly. Parent’s daemon or not, the tone directed at Zhulong is unnecessary and he growls at the currently larger predator who immediately lowers her head.

“It’s okay,” Zhulong pats Bailong’s flank but the little cub continues growling, staring intently at the large snow leopard until she apologises quietly.

“Wow…” her human exhales, but in truth, she is unsurprised. Her son has never done anything he is interested in by halves and from what she has witnessed, he’s gone all in and then some. 

When Yibo had brought Xiao Zhan home for dinner nearly two years ago now, she had been concerned about the age difference and how someone that much older might find her son and his pursuits and interests, well, childish. Six years may not be much after you’re thirty but in your twenties, it is massive. In fact, she remembers the fleeting uncomfortable moment she had when she realised Xiao Zhan would have been in university already when Yibo left home to chase his dreams in South Korea and her baby had definitely been a baby at the time.

Over the course of the dinner though, her concerns had been pretty much permanently dispelled. Xiao Zhan had insisted on helping her and Yibo had perched at the counter stool and played games on his phone the entire time. In that time, Xiao Zhan had prepared snacks and a drink for him which he replenished as soon as the glass went dry. He chastises her son gently when Yibo swears when he loses, and hurries over to perch a chin on his shoulder to see what happened when he whoops with joy at a win. When he had first prepared the snacks, she had thought it was for her benefit but when Yibo had pouted and asked for the _normal snacks_ he prepares for him, she knew it wasn’t the case. Her son doesn’t snack but apparently under Xiao Zhan’s care, he does. 

She had watched both of them and while Xiao Zhan definitely paid attention to her, listening attentively and asking the right questions and offering the right answers, his eyes would always slide over to her son seated with a furrow in his brow at the end of the counter. And as if able to feel the glance, Yibo nearly always looks up and beams at him before returning to his game.

It continues over dinner after her husband gets home. Yibo picking food to put on Xiao Zhan’s plate and vice versa. It seemed to turn into a competition on who could pile more food in the other’s plate until Xiao Zhan fell back in his seat with a laugh and warned Yibo that if he cannot finish his food he’ll have to eat for him.

Yibo had agreed immediately. _“As long as Zhan-ge is full.”_

Over dessert, Yibo had started talking to his father animatedly about some new Lego range that was about to be released. Xiao Zhan had excused himself and taken out his phone then and she remembers the pang of disappointment in him. He had studiously scrolled through his phone for most of the conversation until finally he interrupts, calling Yibo’s attention to him.

_“Is it this one, sweetheart?”_

_He doesn’t offer the phone, Yibo leaning in instead, barely batting an eyelid at the endearment while his parents exchange amused looks. They are cheek to cheek and Yibo’s eyes light up in a familiar way._

_“Baobao! Are you getting it for me? But it’s not out yet.”_

_“Mn.” Xiao Zhan turns to press an absentminded kiss to Yibo’s cheek. “I can pre-order. Did you want the entire range? This is the official Lego site but it’s overseas because I couldn’t find it in the China one or anywhere in China really,” he laughs. “My English is okay enough for me to be able to get this right I hope.”_

_Yibo squeezes the older man’s arm. “Anything Zhan-ge buys for me would be received well.”_

_Xiao Zhan glances over at the nearly vibrating younger man with a smile that makes his eyes crinkle and turn into adorable little half moons. “Even if I buy the wrong thing?”_

_“One can never have too much Lego,” Yibo intones quite seriously before looping his arm into Xiao Zhan’s and resting against him, plucking the older man’s phone from his hand. “Let me pick so then it won’t be your fault if it’s the wrong thing.”_

From that moment, she had stopped assuming anything other than Xiao Zhan will always have her son’s best interest at heart. What more can a parent want for their child?

“You don’t know the half of it. I think he’s just as protective over Chidi as he is over our Xiao Zhan.”

“We’re still here you know,” Zhulong remarks drily still petting Bailong. “Apologise please. That’s his mama’s daemon.”

“No.”

“Bailong.”

“But gege…”

“Oh lord,” Xiao Zhan’s father covers his face. “When he speaks like that, I don’t know if I should leave the room and leave them alone or stay in the room and make sure nothing happens.”

Zhulong cackles but doesn’t reply, allowing himself to be groomed by the feline in a pouty snit. Still unapologetic at that.

—

Yibo and Xiao Zhan finally emerge in the middle of dinner, disheveled, properly contrite and giggling as they hustle sideways to Xiao Zhan’s room.

**~~~**

**_Being A Hero_ **

“I think we’re being watched.”

“I know we’re being watched.”

Zhulong rolls his eyes. “They’ve been watching for the last three days. Can you put them out of their misery already?”

Yibo shakes his head, eyes wide, mouth full of cold noodles. 

Bailong huffs and nibbles on the lovely barbecued meat, savouring it because he is already full from his earlier snack. Xiao Zhan packs Yibo off with treats every single day, both for himself and their daemons that usually accompany him. The older man had pointed out that he doesn’t really do much other than be the headquarters for boring legal meetings, or mess around with some artwork for Yibo including deciding on content for the new Yibo Official account that the younger man is creating for him to play with when it eventually goes live so he doesn’t need the daemons underfoot.

The fact that Yibo can read him like a book goes a long way and while he knows Xiao Zhan isn’t being completely honest, he isn’t lying either. There are certain things the man is omitting and Yibo knows he will share it when he is ready so he leaves it alone. 

He swallows his noodles and wrinkles his nose, picking up a nicely blanched long bean for Zhulong to munch on. “What do you want me to do?”

“Gege can’t talk while eating,” Bailong giggles stating the obvious and Yibo smacks his nose lightly with the remaining length of bean. “He probably means you should invite them over.”

“Why?”

“Make friends.”

“I’m too tired to make friends.” He speaks without thinking and his daemon is under his teeshirt in an instant, hiking it up so high several female staffers giggle at the sight, trying not to look but absolutely failing.

Yibo just sighs and continues eating, feeling refreshed enough to the point where he almost doesn’t need to eat anymore and he hurriedly plucks the cub from his chest.

“What?” Bailong pouts.

“You’re going too far. I want to enjoy gege’s cooking.”

“Ooops.”

“Yeah, _ooops_ ,” Yibo imitates playfully before returning to his food. 

The peace lasts all of one minute, their only warning is Zhulong’s whispered _incoming_.

“May I join you?”

Yibo nods at his co-star. At least he is comfortable with the guy. Chen Xiao had actually joined him for several meals but he had to eat his meals on the fly due to some other matters and Yibo hadn’t gone looking for him. He fully understands what it is like to have to sneak away to make calls or whatever and if Xiao Zhan wasn’t waiting for him barely half an hour away, he’d be squirrelled away in some corner video chatting with the man as he inhales his store bought bento lunch. The less he tastes of it, the better.

He swallows his mouthful. “How’s it going?”

The man shrugs as he opens his store bought bento lunch and sighs at the pathetic meal. 

Even Yibo wrinkles his nose while the two daemons outright scoff, the twin sounds so loud and derisive together that Chen Xiao lets out a startled laugh.

“Even your daemons are judging my meal,” he laughs. “Do you think we’ll ever get proper catering?”

“Don’t know,” Yibo replies, stealing a piece of barbecue meat from Bailong who protests with a loud squeal.

“I’m going to tell Xiao Zhan!” He exclaims loudly, huffing when Yibo pointedly stuffs the entire piece into his mouth.

“Xiao Zhan?” He knows who Xiao Zhan is. He just doesn’t quite understand the context. There is a nagging suspicion of course because he’s heard a fair few rumours but unless it comes from the man (or his daemon as the case may be), he isn’t going to listen to words in the wind.

“His,” Zhulong adds helpfully with a small grin as he watches Bailong wailing at Yibo who is trying to hush or taunt the distraught spoiled little cub. Zhulong honestly can’t tell as the man points at the semi-masticated mess in his mouth. He decides on taunt.

“His?” Chen Xiao is not sure what to look at. He’s always been taught to ignore daemons but these daemons are impossible to ignore. When Yibo had first turned up for training with not one but two daemons, everyone had been shocked. While most of them knew his daemon is a lion, they had expected a full grown lion not the adorable ball of fluff that arrived. Add the white rabbit whose identity is totally unknown since white rabbit daemons are not exactly uncommon, everyone had been quite curious.

Then on the third day, Yibo had managed to step on a piece of broken glass. The man had been more inconsolable about his limited edition shoes that were now bloodied and torn beyond hope than the fact that he had almost sliced his little toe clean off. 

The reason for that had been clear when the little white bunny had transformed into a glorious phoenix. Cast and crew alike had then witnessed the most astounding thing ever.

Wang Yibo being healed by a very naggy phoenix with a chirping little cub next to him scolding him practically non-stop the entire time. Since it was definitely his fault that he had stepped on the glass in the first place, his nose buried in his phone as he walked without looking, the young man had borne the tirade from both daemons rather calmly.

In twenty minutes, Wang Yibo is as good as new with just a tiny scar that will apparently disappear within the week according to the phoenix.

New whispers go round and soon, almost everyone is talking about Wang Yibo and his two powerful daemons but none have attempted to ask him directly about them.

Chen Xiao knows it’s really not a done thing asking about someone’s daemons or even talking to them. However, the conversation wasn’t started by him and he is curious enough to carry on with it.

“Yeah. Xiao Zhan, me. All his.”

“His co-star right? From Chen Qing Ling?”

“You say co-star, I say mate.” Zhulong shrugs as Bailong launches himself onto Yibo with a loud battle squeal, making Yibo nearly topple backwards off his chair. “Fucking hell! Bailong, stop it! I’m going to tell Xiao Zhan!”

“Not if I tell him first. He stole my food!”

Zhulong face palms. “The one thing they fight about is Xiao Zhan’s cooking. I swear, they’re both literal animals.” He frowns suddenly before smirking. “Well, speaking of the devil.”

Chen Xiao rears back in shock when the daemon suddenly disappears.

He is still studying the empty table while Yibo holds his daemon at arms’ length, said daemon threatening to turn full size when a warm amused voice descends over the table.

“Is this how we behave at work? What’s going on here?”

“Xiao Zhan!”

“Gege!”

To everyone’s shock, a red barrier appears out of nowhere and the loud bickering human and daemon disappear within it, along with the newcomer and the rabbit daemon.

“The fuck?”

It lasts about five minutes before it disappears, the pouting cub in the newcomer’s arms, while Zhulong is sitting on Yibo’s shoulder because the man has both hands full of bags.

Dumping them on the table, he nods to Chen Xiao. “Food for the everyone. Homemade zongzi. It’s a little early but we have plans so won’t be here for the actual day.”

“Ah, is this your co-lead?” The masked man asks.

The older actor imagines he can hear that gorgeous smile Xiao Zhan is so known for in his voice.

“Baobao…you’re my only co-lead.”

Chen Xiao’s hair is standing on end.

**~~~**

**_Forever_ **

Yibo is pacing.

And pacing.

And pacing even more.

He is in an empty house with only an eight-seater round dining table set he’d asked the agent to bring in. There’s some furniture out back, but he’s not outside.

“You’re giving me a headache.”

“What if he says no?” He asks, finally stopping.

Bailong narrows his eyes at his human. “Have you gone completely daft? We are mated. This silly piece of paper is a human thing.”

“Well, _I am human_ ,” he counters a little sharply. “Not much you can do about that oh great Level 1 king of daemons or whatever you are.”

“Rude,” Bailong sniffs but he trots over and winds himself around Yibo’s ankles until the man huffs and bends over to pick him up. “Does it really matter?” He asks, absorbing the anxiety rolling off his human in waves. He can practically smell the worry too as he sends back the love from the other human to Yibo. Really, the way these two feel about each other is deeper than a lot of married couples so Bailong is quite perplexed. He is certain Zhulong would feel the same but his gege is busy with his own task of making sure Xiao Zhan and both sets of parents arrive at the location.

The property is in a gated community and was one of the last parts of the development to still be available. He hadn’t decided on it on a whim, having even checked the list of owners in the smallish community since he had been attacked by the absurd notion that perhaps one of their insane stalker fans might try and buy one of the properties and disrupt the neighbourhood. He is still quite astounded by the fact that no one has found their Shanghai home and he is still thankful for that especially since Xiao Zhan had been cooped up in the there for the better part of the month. It is also one of the reasons why he had been mad as hell about tracking devices being put on his transport the last month. Bailong had noticed it instantly of course but the fact that someone had the audacity to do something like that - truly nothing is sacred.

However since their privacy in Shanghai had been nearly perfect in the last twenty months or so, Yibo had thought why not take the next step. Why not have a proper base. Why not properly merge their households in Beijing. They still keep their apartments, primarily hanging out at Xiao Zhan’s since Yibo’s has basically turned into a storage unit now. In truth, he doesn’t think the older man will say no but he is springing this on him and he doesn’t like to be blindsided. 

It had been extremely difficult to find the right property and Yibo had been doing it off and on since serving his fourteen days in some random hotel while Xiao Zhan sat stranded in his apartment while his world went up in flames. Living with Xiao Zhan then had been - in a word - bliss. It still is even though they have gotten busier. The last five months has shown him a side of life he never actually knew he needed. Xiao Zhan had mentioned it several times too, off and on, about how he’d love his own proper kitchen. How it would be nice to attempt to grow his own cilantro considering how much Yibo eats it, jokingly pointing out that they could go bankrupt alone at the amount of money he spends on buying the stuff. How it would be lovely to be outside with a cup of tea watching the sun set and not be worried about getting photographed. 

Wishful random musings over the course of their relationship. Most of the comments of course had been relatively throwaway but Yibo is always listening. Xiao Zhan is the one person that he never ever fails to pay attention to. He can even tell when the man is reading something sad or racy from the way he breathes.

So he listens and takes everything in and ticks off as much as he can.

Home studio slash office? Check.

Hobby room? Check.

Guest bedroom? Check.

Separate master suite? Check.

Gigantic walk-in-closet? Check.

A bathroom like their Shanghai apartment? Check

A garden? Check.

A garage large enough to fit their vehicles and Yibo’s hobbies? Semi-check. 

While the garage is probably not large enough to house everything, the cars can go in the driveway.

“They’re here.”

“Who’s here?”

“Parents. Both.”

Yibo presses the remote for the gate and hurries out and down the circular driveway to greet their parents. 

—

“This is a very huge surprise, Yibo.”

The man in question is hugging himself and rubbing his hands up and down his arms. “I know.”

“It’s a little…overwhelming,” Xiao Zhan’s mother admits kindly, seeing the frown on the young man’s face she hurries over to comfort him. “I don’t mean that it’s bad. It’s just…my son is a simple man and this is a lot to process. Even I’m having trouble processing this.”

“Our Yibo doesn’t really know how to do anything halfway,” his father joins the conversation, putting his arm around Yibo’s much broader shoulders. “He’s either all in or he won’t bother starting it.”

She nods. “I understand. I’m just not sure how Zanzan would react.”

Yibo steps out from his father’s embrace and takes her hand. “Honestly? Zhan-ge is more than enough for me. If I had nothing and only had him, I’d be happy. I want to give him everything.”

The much shorter woman smiles fondly. “He feels the same way.”

“I…” he stops, carding his hand through his hair, looking around briefly to see where the other mismatched set of parents had wandered off to with Bailong who has taken it upon himself to give the grand tour. His father has a hand clasping his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “I just want a home with him. Somewhere both of us feel safe and away from everyone, free to be ourselves, free to be with each other however we want. We know the nature of our relationship itself isn’t the problem but our work is and it’s nearly impossible to get away from that but I’d like to try.”

Her eyes are teary and she reaches up to pat his cheek. “You’re a good boy. So reliable despite being so young. Tell me, do you just have us here to show the house?” 

“About that…”

—

Xiao Zhan is late. His flight info had gotten leaked again and he’d spent an hour dodging stalker fans in various vehicles. Zhulong had offered to call Bailong because the cub can take him through timeout but the man had flatly refused. This isn’t an emergency and it’s nothing he hasn’t had to do before. In fact, an hour is pretty good all things considered. He’s dodged cars for four hours before and he’d do it again if he has to. Yibo had intimated that he wanted to show him something and when Xiao Zhan had googled the location, he has a rather good idea of what the man wants to show him and he’d dodge fucking cars for hours if he has to in order to lose them before meeting the love of his life in what is likely their future merged home in Beijing.

If he thought the rental in Shanghai was eye-watering though, this one is worse. It is far enough for it to be somewhat affordable for a rental house and all the space and privacy that affords but it’s still a lot. Out of curiosity, he had also checked out the prices and they ranged from fifteen to twenty-five million depending on the size of the house and the plot of land and whether or not it has a lap pool and Xiao Zhan is already ready to scold the younger man for picking such an expensive gated property. At the same time, he understands why it has to be done. An apartment is mostly more secure than a landed property, but this development seems to have ticked off all of their safety concerns. The external perimeter is even monitored by CCTV at every column and they have guards patrolling. It probably explains the price tag. The rental is near twice what they are paying in Shanghai and Xiao Zhan, the penny pincher of the both of them, vows not to hassle the younger man about it.

The two boxes in his pocket are also a lead weight. It’s sort of technically their two year anniversary that day and he’s been carrying one box since January, while the second box is newer. 

_**18:33 Is everything okay? Bailong said yes but he’s grumpy because you don’t want Zhulong to call him? What’s going on?** _

**18:33 Nothing abnormal. Someone leaked my flight info again so I had to dodge them.**

_**18:34 They recognise your car. Why can’t your agency rent a different one?** _

**18:34 What agency?**

_**18:35 Fair fair. Here this should tide you over till you see my face.** _

  
  
  
  


“Damn,” Xiao Zhan mutters under his breath. Yibo is just _so much_. His cock is stirring and he lets it because damn. And the best part about it is that Yibo is more than just his insane good looks. 

**18:36 I didn’t realise I married a narcissist lol. Do you even have a bad angle? And why do I always get official photos and never selfies?**

**18:37 Also you’re SpongeBob and I’m the cone BECAUSE THAT UNIFORM HELLOOOOO omg I’m almost almost ALMOST glad I didn’t get Chen Laoshi’s part because NO FILMING WOULD GET DONE I PROMISE YOU**

_**18.37 Hmmm…** _

**18:38 OH MY GOD HOW ARE YOU THIS CUTE WHERE ARE ALL THESE FROM WHO DO I HAVE TO KILL TO GET ALL THE PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn it they need to get on with creating something useful like how to bring this cutie pie back so I can fuck him while you fuck me in your policeman’s uniform.**

Yibo is dying, staring at his phone in a mixture of several things but honestly the strongest one is sheer horrified disbelief because their parents are here and he’s projecting enough that all five daemons are snickering at him right now from around the dining table where all the humans are seated and waiting for Xiao Zhan.

“Interesting email? WeChat?” Ying Yue enquires with a smirk.

Yibo’s ears are burning. He has to cancel his flight. Yes, cancel his flight. He can get Bailong to get him to the Being A Hero press con tomorrow. Isn’t this an emergency? His dick definitely thinks it’s an emergency.

Wang Shu snorts. “Pretty sure it came with photos.”

Yibo’s mother narrows her eyes at her son currently the colour of a bright tomato. He is still gaping at his phone, his mouth opening and shutting, but nothing comes out.

Qing Shan and Yu Yan are both sniggering together when Bailong leaps up onto the table to settle in front of Yibo, his expression vaguely exasperated.

“He’s not even here and you’re trying to burn my fur off. Please mate later and not attempt it over the phone.” He wrinkles his nose. “That would be messy.”

Yibo chokes and scrambles to his feet, running out of the room without a backward glance to the uproarious laughter of four daemons while Bailong just rolls his eyes.

The silence that descends after he leaves is only interrupted by the occasional snort from daemons still trying to stop laughing. 

Bailong starts grooming himself to make sure no fur has actually fallen off, ignoring the slightly awkward atmosphere. He is fully aware of the need to mate but seriously, Xiao Zhan isn’t even here. 

“You know,” Xiao Zhan’s father starts with a crinkling eye smile that is identical to his son’s. “I worried at the start if Zanzan would be able to keep up with him but…” he laughs remembering Yibo’s face. “I think he’s doing just fine.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re talking about,” Xiao Zhan’s mother is blushing however, giving away the fact that she very well knows what her husband is talking about.

“Honestly, if one of them were a girl, we’d have at least one grandkid by now.” Yibo’s mother states rather matter of factly.

Yibo’s dad snorts but says nothing. Everything that needed to be said has already been said. 

—

Xiao Zhan asks to be dropped off at the gate, waving Da-Xia off telling her he’ll contact her later. 

Zhulong is still grumbling in his arms about his fur falling off and Xiao Zhan can’t help but nuzzle the cranky little daemon. “You two can go to timeout as early as you want.”

“How about now?” Zhulong complains, checking his back paws carefully. “I mean, I can understand feeling like that when you’re together but you were in a car of people for fuck’s sake. Control yourself!”

“Have you seen Wang Yibo?” Xiao Zhan asks, his eyes roaming up the expansive driveway of the rather large house. 

“I see him more than you do,” the daemon replies snidely. 

“Wow. Hurtful much?” Xiao Zhan stares aghast at his daemon who apologises immediately, snuffling against his chest and sending him the love from the younger man that he always keeps with him for his human. 

Settling quickly, Xiao Zhan recognises two of the three cars in the driveway which means the third car likely belongs to Yibo. Since he’s pretty sure he’s not supposed to be driving anything other than an Audi for anything official, he must have rented the Mercedes though why such a vehicle he doesn’t know. Touching the gleaming vehicle, a little bigger than what he’d personally drive but he appreciates the large SUV nonetheless, he vaguely notes that the engine is cold before he heads inside.

“BB?” He calls out through the door.

“Ah Zanzan, you’re finally here.” Yibo’s mother emerges from behind a door, presumably a bathroom because he can hear the remnants of a flush. “Everyone’s out back.

“Ma,” he greets easily leaning down to hug the woman. “If I’d known you would be here I’d have brought the scarf I knitted for you. Obviously you don’t need it now,” he laughs. “But I had quite a bit of free time so I finished it early.”

She links her arm through his. “It’s okay. You can bring it next time you visit. Did you find your way here alright?”

“Yeah, just the usual issues but I’m here and that’s what’s important. Do you know why we’re here?”

Zhulong wriggles in his arms just then. “I need to talk to Bailong. I’ll find you after.”

“After? After what?” He asks, but his daemon is already gone. He turns to the beaming woman next to him. “Ma, what’s going on?”

She just smiles and reaches up to gently turn his head to face forward.

His jaw drops when he sees the backyard. 

The sun is setting and the cloudy sky serves as a backdrop for dozens of pretty fairy lights strung across the back lawn. Yibo is talking to both their fathers by a bar table. Bailong is full-sized behind him and Zhulong is a phoenix perched on his back. Their parents’ daemons are flanking and conversing in daemon for Xiao Zhan cannot hear a word.

“Yibo?” He calls out softly. 

He doesn’t even raise his voice but the man turns immediately and the smile that breaks across his face at seeing the older man makes his mother standing next to Xiao Zhan tear up immediately.

She had been worried at first when Yibo informed them of his plan, believing them still far too young. He had asked for their blessing of course but her polite son had worded it very carefully, making it very clear that he is going ahead with or without their blessings but with would be preferable. While none of them had even considered disapproving, she knows Xiao Zhan’s mother was also a little worried.

That smile though. She has seen different versions of it over the last two years but the one she is seeing now. This is her son’s forever.

Xiao Zhan must have noticed as well because they had reunited as she dabbed away at her tears next to them, he pulls out a box from his pocket and holds it in his palm offering it to Yibo.

“Happy anniversary, sweetheart. You’re probably going to blow me away with your gift so I thought I’d better offer mine first because there is no way I’ll be able to follow yours. I’ve been carrying it around for awhile and this was honestly meant to be your birthday present but I couldn’t wait. Every time you smile at me, I want to give it to you and well, this is about where my self-control stops.”

Yibo’s eyes are shining as he opens the small box and he gasps at it. Raising his glowing eyes to meet the older man’s, his voice is absolutely reverent. “It’s beautiful.”

Suddenly feeling a little shy and aware of the woman next to them, Xiao Zhan ducks his head and hides his nose in his jacket.

Well, Yibo’s jacket. They’ve given up separating their closets and Yibo by far has more clothes than he does so the chance of him grabbing one of his anything is guaranteed to happen a few times a week.

“I thought it was a sunflower when I first saw it and bought it without asking because it reminded me so much of you. I actually gasped when out loud when they told me the stone is a peridot since that’s your birthstone. I figured it was meant to be,” he rubs his nose, a leftover habit from playing Wei Wuxian and a bit of a nervous tick. “It’s apparently a daisy.” 

“If Zhan-ge says it’s a sunflower then it’s a sunflower,” Yibo insists stubbornly, pulling out the dainty little thing on a fine chain. “Put it on me?”

Xiao Zhan nods, taking the pretty jewelry piece as Yibo turns. He is uncaring of their audience as he leans to kiss Yibo’s reddened ear from behind. “Daisies mean purity and innocence.” His voice is husky as he takes the gentle curve between his teeth, biting lightly before licking it better. “And weren’t you exactly that until I corrupted you exactly two years ago?”

Yibo’s mother flees from the couple’s side, face flaming as her snow leopard daemon laughs. 

—

“Will you marry me?”

Xiao Zhan blinks at the handsome young man staring earnestly at him surrounded by their family and their daemons. 

“I heard you the first two times, give me a second.”

“One.”

“Wang Yibo.”

“Xiao Zhan.”

The older man bares his teeth and digs into his pocket, pulling out yet another jewelry box, his expression a little sheepish. 

“So…” he starts, popping open his own ring box. “Will you marry me too?”

“Did you know about this?” A squeaky little growl is heard before Yibo can reply as Bailong stalks Zhulong nearly to the edge of the bar table. “We could have done this better!”

“They asked each other,” Zhulong patiently fends off the cub not dissimilar to the way Yibo easily holds off a flailing Xiao Zhan trying to get at him and it is amusing to the humans in particular to see the tiny cub struggling with the white rabbit. They are all fairly certain Bailong would easily overpower Zhulong. He just doesn’t want to.

“Can you two just behave for five minutes?” Yibo asks, exasperated now. “Trying to get married here and I don’t want to send you to timeout.”

“Married?” Xiao Zhan’s eyes widen. “Aren’t we just asking each other to get married? I’m assuming it’s a yes since we asked and an answer is actually moot but wait…” he looks around at their parents and the other daemons. “Wait a minute. His large eyes narrow when he sees his father surreptitiously passing Yibo a small sheaf of papers. “Wang Yibo, what have you done?”

“You see…I figure you weren’t going to say no and I definitely wasn’t going to say no if you asked so I…uh…dowry?” He trails off weakly, suddenly feeling a little silly. 

“Dowry? We are not in ancient China!”

This time it is Yibo who rubs his nose ala Wei Wuxian. The action isn’t missed by any of the parents, a little amused at how their sons have basically taken on each other’s little quirks. “I couldn’t come to you empty-handed.”

“Now you’re making me look bad,” Xiao Zhan huffs but he isn’t serious at all, placing his and Yibo’s ring boxes on the bar table and tugging the younger man into his arms and kissing his nose. “I love you so much. You could come to me naked and I’d take you.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Zhulong snickers.

“I wouldn’t bet against that.” Bailong smirks.

“No one would.” Wang Shu adds, Xiao Zhan’s mother’s daemon, watching his human blushing like crazy and being quite amused by the whole thing.

Xiao Zhan colours instantly, realising how that sounded as adults and daemons alike snicker all around them. “Well, what I meant—”

Yibo covers his mouth with his, licking into it, deepening the kiss for a few seconds before stepping back. “Well, just as well I’d take you in the same condition so we’re fine.”

“Uh-huh,” Xiao Zhan stares dazedly at Yibo’s ripe red mouth. “So…what…uh…what did you get me?”

“Did you see the car out front?”

“The Mercedes?”

Yibo nods eagerly. “It’s limited edition. I think there’s only ten or something and—”

“Lao Wang oh my god please don’t tell me you bought a car. That car. I was just commenting in passing. In passing. I just…” Xiao Zhan trails off, his mouth opening and shutting for a second before he continues. “Seriously you can’t just buy everything I comment on.”

“Did you comment on this property too?” Yibo’s father interrupts curiously.

“This property?” Xiao Zhan turns to the older man. “No,” he frowns minutely. “Why would I? I didn’t even know this property existed and…” he trails off again, this time eyes so wide that Yibo actually takes a step back, expression a little apprehensive. “This isn’t a rental, is it?” His voice is a choked whisper.

Yibo isn’t sure where the rental thing came from but he replies honestly. “No.”

“Holy fuck,” Xiao Zhan drops to his knees, swaying for a moment before sitting back on his heels. He is immediately crowded by parents and daemons though Yibo remains standing, eyes never leaving his face. “Puppy…sweetheart…my love what have you done?”

“If you don’t like it, I just forfeit the downpayment. I have the papers here and your lawyers have seen it. You just need to sign, Zhan-ge.”

“I looked it up when you sent me the location and I thought it was perfect but too expensive and that’s when I thought you were wanting to rent the place.” Xiao Zhan’s voice has gone a little high. “Yibo…I’m not even working properly. I know we can afford this now but what about later?”

Yibo shakes his head, still watching the older man carefully. He can see that Xiao Zhan is in shock and he’s not angry or anything negative. Just genuinely shocked.

“It’s fine. Taken care of. You don’t need to pay for anything although I was hoping you’d help design and decorate it because if it were left to me we’d have a motorcycle bathroom among other things.”

“If you want a fucking motorcycle bathroom, you’re getting it.”

—

“Gege?”

Xiao Zhan holds up a finger. “Baobei just…just give me a minute.”

“Okay,” Yibo puts his hands in his pockets and shuffles around the room looking like a teenager who’s about to be grounded. Head down, he walks around the perimeter of the top-most floor of the house. The master suite and a secluded but open roof terrace are the only things on the top floor. Considering the floor area is pretty much the same from the ground floor to the top floor, the space is vast indeed. Most people configure the top floor to be a master suite with an attached office or nursery but Yibo hadn’t wanted any work-related matters past the middle floor. He knows Xiao Zhan is of the same mind. For someone stuck working from home more often than not in the past six months, Xiao Zhan had bemoaned the lack of space and being able to switch off once in the bedroom especially when he is alone. A clear space between work and rest is needed and Yibo had given it to him.

He’s on his third circumambulation of the room when he feels a warm body hugging him from behind.

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy about you,” Yibo replies immediately. 

“I won’t be able to handle it if you ever stop being crazy about me.”

Yibo hugs Xiao Zhan’s arms around himself and leans back against the taller man. “You know that’s never going to happen.”

“But all the tragedies…”

“This year was our tragedy,” Yibo replies firmly. “I refuse to believe that anything worse can happen. What happened to you was a tragedy. You are just _so good_ and didn’t deserve any of that. Who’s to say that our tragedy isn’t the same as King something or other and that Wallis woman. The only tragedy was a huge scandal. We’ve done the scandal, now we can live happily ever after.”

He turns in the circle of Xiao Zhan’s arms and wraps his arms loosely around his neck, pushing the older man up against a wall. He stares into the other man’s eyes, seeing the sheen of tears but the glow within him is there, shining brightly and he wishes he could give him _more_. He deserves the world.

Taking a shuddering breath he bites his lip. “You know, I understand why the League is worried about us. I want to give you the world. I want to give you anything your heart desires. Bailong has the power to help me get that and if we were different people, I think I wouldn’t hesitate to pillage the world to give you whatever you wanted.” He licks his lip. “The temptation is there. It’s so there but do you know what stops me?”

A small tear drop spills from Xiao Zhan’s eye as he leans forward to press their foreheads together. “No. Tell me,” he breathes against a warm mouth.

“You. With any kind of power, I’m certain there is a backlash. We saw it ourselves with how much our popularity skyrocketed after Chen Qing Ling. What happened to you and all the antis was due to how popular you had become and how much power they perceived that you had. You had your pick of anything. Endorsements were tripping over themselves. And then the rubber snapped.” He breathes shakily. “I can’t risk you. Even if I wanted to act against your agency, Du Hua, everyone who has ever hurt you. No matter how powerful Bailong is, he cannot see the future. All those other pairings had powerful daemons too and they couldn’t be saved either. I just want to live in peace with you. Forever with you.” 

Yibo kisses away the trailing tears flowing freely now, licking the man’s damp cheek. Their parents are having dinner downstairs with all the daemons and soon they will all have to separate again, but for now, he has Xiao Zhan and that is enough.

They feed each other, body, mind and soul. 

It is enough.

Xiao Zhan moves, sliding down the wall and tugging Yibo along with him until they are curled facing each other, a shoulder each against the wall. 

“I thought about that too. I never told you but I thought about it a lot and wondered what if they had ended prematurely or tragically because they had used their daemon’s powers when they should have left well enough alone. The only ones who seemed to have come out of it relatively unscathed was that King you mentioned, and in a way, the ballet dancers as well.”

The younger man smiles. “Zhan-ge is so smart.” He nuzzles their noses together. “Daemons are here to protect humans, not to be exploited by the very humans they are supposed to protect. I trust Bailong and Zhulong to do what is right.”

“And I trust us to do what is right too.” This time it is Xiao Zhan who kisses away a tear. “That was a giant sheaf of papers, baobei. How many legal documents are we signing tonight?”

“A few,” Yibo hedges. “Bailong.”

The cub appears immediately, tumbling into his lap and licking both humans enthusiastically for a few seconds before he calls his companion. “Gege!”

Zhulong appears as a rather large bunny struggling with a folio of papers, huffing as he dumps the folder and shrinks. “Honestly, the youth these days,” he glares pointedly at the giggling little cub. “He knew he was supposed to take the file with him but he just waved at me and disappeared. You wanna sleep alone huh?”

“No! Gege, no!” Bailong tumbles out of Yibo’s lap and tackles the grumpy bunny, licking him effusively. “I love you. No!”

Yibo and Xiao Zhan watch the two chasing each other around the large empty room.

“What are the chances that they’d be the first actual mated daemon pairing?” Yibo murmurs, his eyes keen. The way Bailong is playing with Zhulong seriously reminds him of how he used to bug Xiao Zhan. “I mean, you saw our parents’ daemons downstairs. They talk to each other and _maybe_ cuddle at a stretch if leaning against each other is considered cuddling but they certainly don’t groom each other. They don’t even really touch each other while these two can’t seem to go without touching each other at all. And don’t get me started on how sticky Bailong’s voice can be. All those Korean and Japanese actresses have nothing on him. I swear he makes _my_ hair stand on end and he’s mine.”

“Ours.” Xiao Zhan corrects, not missing the brilliant smile sent his way from the nodding younger man. Xiao Zhan is unpacking the folder and taking out each set of papers carefully and arranging them, but his mouth is tugged up into a smile. “Our daemons are also an extension of us, remember? They are like this when we’ve been apart for awhile because of how we feel about the separation.”

Yibo snuggles into the older man’s side as they turn to lean against the wall instead. “How do you think they’d react if I asked them if it’s possible to clone me for sex?”

Xiao Zhan slaps his thigh immediately. “Yibo!”

“Hey you started it.”

“But it went nowhere so leave it alone. I changed my mind after I realised you were probably still seventeen. Those adorable little mantou cheeks,” he pinches said cheeks, getting a protesting whine from the younger man who doesn’t move away, allowing his cheeks to be squished even more before they get dotted with loving kisses.

“You really like pretty little things, huh?”

The handsome older man narrows his eyes at the younger. “Don’t even. You’re very pretty Wang Laoshi and you are the opposite of little,” he palms his crotch pointedly, feeling the hardness and shaking his head. “You still turn on like a switch huh?”

“Only for you.”

“Our parents are downstairs.”

“I want my honeymoon,” Yibo pouts, grabbing Xiao Zhan’s wrist and pressing it harder against his clothed hardness. 

“Mmmm, okay BB.” Xiao Zhan extricates his hand. “Later.”

“You know, Chen Laoshi heard you calling me that and he thought you were saying _baby_.” Yibo smirks as his eyebrow twitches at the two daemons staring at them as if assessing whether they need to go to timeout or not. After a few seconds of a staring context across the length of the room, they continue playing.

“I hope you didn’t correct him,” Xiao Zhan peers down at the first set of papers, doing nothing but read the front page before flipping over to the signing page. “Why is the car only in my name?”

“I paid in full so it’s yours.”

“Wang Yibo!”

“Just sign, Lao Xiao.”

Xiao Zhan grumbles but he does as told. Digging out his personal stamp as well and adding that. He eyes the other three documents and then looks back at an innocent looking Wang Yibo who even starts whistling. Taking a deep breath, he reaches for the next set of papers.

“Wang Yibo, no! No! Absolutely not. It’s both our names or none of our names.”

“It’s a wedding present. You can’t think I’m so vulgar as to give myself a wedding present?”

“We haven’t even had the wedding yet, for fuck’s sake,” Xiao Zhan throws his arms up, baring his teeth and glaring at the younger man. “This house cost over twenty million, there is absolutely no fucking way I’m only putting my name on it. You paid for it. Your name needs to be on it!”

“Are you planning on leaving me?”

“The hell? Of course not!”

“So what’s the problem? What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. Does it matter whose name it’s under?”

“Precisely so why can’t your name be on it?”

“Because I bought this house for you, for us to live in.”

“Yes, but what if something happens to either of us? No, Yibo. I’m putting my foot down here. Absolutely not. I am not signing that.”

Yibo sighs and leans over and picks up the remaining two sets of papers. “Read this. It’ll make more sense if you had started with these.”

Xiao Zhan grabs the papers roughly, shaking a little at how insane Yibo is being. If he had really paid for the house in full, Xiao Zhan is paying for the remodelling. Yibo is not going to spend a single cent and—

“Oh my god. What is this?” Xiao Zhan’s eyes are so large his entire face is practically all eyes.

“Guardianship agreement,” Yibo replies cheerfully. “They’re identical, except the names are reversed. What’s mine is really yours and vice versa. There’s a living will of course but I only made mine because I’m not sure what you wanted in yours.”

“I came here expecting you to show me a new rental, and find that you bought the goddamn house and gifted it to me. I decided to propose to you today and find that you already basically married us!” Xiao Zhan nearly shrieks. “Wang Yibo!”

And then he bursts into tears.

—

“We should probably head to the hotel. Are they coming down?”

Bailong and Zhulong exchange looks and shake their heads. “Uh…they’re…what do you humans call it? Christening the house.”

“Right. I’m out of here,” Xiao Zhan’s dad shakes everyone’s hands hurriedly and hightails out the door, Yibo’s own father not far behind him, both men muttering about ridiculous sons. 

“Do you think it’s too early to bug them about a grandchild?” Xiao Zhan’s mother asks Yibo’s. “Isn’t Yibo representing the NO CHILD ALONE campaign? He should lead by example.”

“Why do you think he offered?” Yibo’s mother murmurs as they turn to leave.

“You have a very good son.”

“So do you.”

—

“I swear, next time you talk me into this, you can be on the bottom and get carpet burn.” Xiao Zhan groans as he tries to look at his elbows. “I’m not even going to comment on the fact that you just happened to be carrying condoms and a bottle of lube.”

“Boy Scout trick.” Yibo holds up three fingers blinking innocently at the nude man. “Always be prepared.”

“Were you ever a boy scout?”

“Nope.” He pops the p. “But I have baggy pants that can hide a lot of things.”

Xiao Zhan bends his head to stare pointedly at something. “Not everything.”

“That’s cos you’re looking.”

“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan is so amused he’s not sure if the man truly is unaware. “ _Everyone is looking_. I’ve come across elegantly worded topics dedicated solely to your dick.”

“Well, they can elegantly word whatever the fuck they want. This dick is yours.”

“It better be. Otherwise you might find yourself without your dick.”

Yibo yelps, cupping his cock and balls while Xiao Zhan giggles for a good minute. 

“Would you really?” He asks hesitantly.

Xiao Zhan glares at him balefully. “Don’t even think on it.”

The younger man meeps. “Yes, gege.”

“Regretting asking me to marry you?”

“No. Never.” Yibo sidles closer, pulling their sweaty sated bodies flush against each other. “You’re my forever ever after.”

“Forever ever after,” Xiao Zhan tests the words on his tongue.

“Mn.”

“I love it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming on this unexpected ride with me. I intended for it to be a one shot and well, longest one shot ever haha. I seem to have word count issues with my “first fic” anywhere. My first WangXian was pushing 163k words. Also…I have somehow ended up with the longest fic in the fest :P
> 
> Thank you everyone for your kind words and kudos. I left this open-ended because closing the story felt wrong when it really isn’t mine to close and the prompter wanted a hopeful end so here we are. I am REALLY going to miss the daemons though. Bailong and Zhulong who were basically OC but embraced so wonderfully by all of you. I don’t think I’ve ever had OCs receive the reception they did so thank you so much for being so sweet and kind.
> 
> And last but not least, while I don’t think I ticked all the boxes, I think I ticked off most of it so thank you again @kvisan for the prompt.
> 
> PS: Also in case anyone in wondering because I’ve had a couple of people asking, there will be a Bazaar one shot and you know where that one’s going lol. I also took out a few scenes from this chapter (about 5k worth) because it was getting too long. There were a few SDC scenes especially which I will post separately once I’ve cleaned it up because this was the original open-end I had and I decided to stick with it.
> 
> Take care and see you all next time! Thanks again for keeping me company on my first bjyx fic.


	11. BONUS: Comic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute little comic I commissioned to end the fic with :D This was done by @Don_DonDoni_ on twitter and they're in their Burial Mounds outfits where they rescue the kids.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/beeswaxing/38670780/163819/163819_original.jpg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When "my daemon" is really "our daemons" hehe. This is when they were still a little more conscious of their familiarity with each other's while in front of others.

**Author's Note:**

> I binged on most of the bts in Jan/Feb and my memory isn’t great. If there are some linear issues, please turn a blind eye. This is my first BJYX fic cos this prompt basically screamed at me to take it so I hope I do it justice.
> 
> I've never written a creature fic of sorts so I commissioned @butleronduty on Twitter to help me out with the comic in Chapter 1.


End file.
